Living Vinegar & Why We Need Them
life is hard; food doesn't have to be #55 [vol2, 6.1]
When I went to Italy in 2019, one take-away from the local food tour in Florence was wanting to learn more about vinegar. (Another take-away was that the quality of food in Italy is the highest anywhere in the world; I’ve been to 17 countries.)
My tour guide weaved through the market, stopping at various vendors, explaining the foods we were tasting, the cultural value and sometimes what we would be eating. Tripe is the stomach of a cow, btw. It’s chewy like octopus with a texture you learn to enjoy. The tripe was redeemed afterwards with handmade pasta with freshly shaved truffles - my fav.
I won’t forget tasting the various vinegars at another vendor. The seller spoke great English and had the personality of a who-gives-a-rip-fun-loving-barmaid. She kindly explained the difference between the vinegars, how they were made and why they were priced so differently. I could easily see the difference in viscosity; as vinegar ages it becomes thicker. I shelled out cash for 20 year old vinegar but couldn’t bring myself to pay even more for the 50 year old elixir. The greatest flavor difference was between very new vinegar and 10 year old vinegar. As it aged from there the flavor difference was more subtle. I came home with several bottles for my family to try and am still slowly using them 2 years later.
Lots has happened in the last two years (understatement.) But I am still curious about vinegar. It seems Americans could care less about vinegar. Maybe I’m not looking in the right places for quality vinegar.
When you can’t find what you want in the store, one option is to make it. After a google search I found an ebook of how to make vinegar. It was a good primer but left me wanting more. So I bought a book called Homebrewed Vinegar by someone who also wrote books about making hard cider and fermented vegetables. There is a common theme here. Fermentation is fabulous!
As serendipity would have it, a few days after the vinegar book arrived my fav traditional food blogger sent an email waxing eloquently about vinegars. <squeal!> She introduced me to an online maker of specialty living vinegars. I continued down the rabbit trail and bought several flavors. When they arrive I will for sure give a nerdy update.
What’s a living vinegar?
Living vinegars are raw (never heated or pasteurized), have been made with a mother culture, are usually cloudy, and offer prebiotic benefits. Definitely not the same as sharp cheap distilled vinegar. The only living vinegar I’ve ever found in America is raw apple cider vinegar. Well, and sometimes when my kombucha sits too long it becomes vinegar…
In addition to boosting gut health, and packing complex flavors, living vinegar can improve digestion, and has been shown to lower blood sugar levels. Some say it helps with weight loss, lowers blood pressure, and even improves heart health.
Living vinegar also contains antioxidants and amino acids.
Places to Use It
Vinegar has so many uses in the kitchen. In her book, Salt, Fat, Acid Heat: Mastering the Elements of Good Cooking, Samin Nosrat opened my eyes to the essentiality of acid that brightens food, especially at the end of making a dish. Actually I think it was Ina Garten who first illumined my eyes when she gave away a trade secret: squeeze a half lemon into soup just before serving. I love to use vinegar in homemade salad dressings, as marinades, as well as a nostalgic splash at the end of cooking greens like collards and kale.
Have you heard of shrubs?
Not the kind in your yard..a fun traditional drink. The Kitchn has a fabulous article here. An Iranian friend introduced me to one made with cucumbers and chia seeds. (She also said it was very common for Iranians to still make their own vinegar.) Babylonians added date vinegar to water to make it safe to drink. The Romans used vinegar in water to make a drink called posca. It’s a refreshing way to flavor water on a hot day while replenishing essential electrolytes.
A shot of raw vinegar in a glass of water has also been known to help those who suffer with acid reflux.
Save the Date!
If you’re local, I hope you will join me for Faces and Ferments. I’m opening my kitchen to 12 people who want to try all the ferments! We’ll have heavy hors d’oeuvres + meat to taste fermented mustard, ketchup, BBQ sauce, mayo and other vegetable ferments from my fridge. As we care for our insides, we will also pamper our skin with an option to put on a charcoal mask and use sugar scrub on our hands. Grab a friend and reply to this email to save your spot! Tuesday, June 15 at 7pm. I’ll share my address when you RSVP. It’s gonna be a fun night.
Meat Shares
Saturday begins the first Meat Share of the summer with FarmGirl. As I’ve talked with people this week, one common misunderstanding has been about the distribution. You don’t get all the meat at once. No need for a giant freezer. You get portions on the first & third of the month. You save at least 25% when you sign up. More details when you scroll to the bottom here.
I love summer & farmers’ markets.
Julie
PS - if you’re in LR - the markets I know of:
Hillcrest: 7-10am
Argenta: 8-10am
White Water Tavern: 11a-1pm
PPS: The 17 countries I’ve visited:
US
Mexico
Haiti
Caribbean: St. Lucia, St. John, St. Thomas
Germany
England
France
Austria
Cech Republic
Italy
Israel (lived there 6 weeks)
Jordan
Egypt
South Africa
Zimbabwe
Fiji (lived there 6 months)
Australia
PPPS: reply to this email to save your spot on June 15 at 7pm for Faces and Ferments.
I first learned about shrubs at my local farmers market and have since tried making my own (my first attempt went from not sweet enough to too sweet rather quickly). Great article!