“Red” Vinegar
There is a vinegar used often for salad dressings, for marinades, for braising, called wine vinegar. It doesn’t have any alcohol in it, it is just vinegar, but usually in the Middle East you will find it called red vinegar.
So when I found it at the co-op, I grabbed it. It was dimly lit in there, but I could see that it was indeed red.
Can you see how red it is? Hmmmmm. . . . it’s sort of an odd color of red for wine vinegar . . .
In fact, the color is so wrong that I check the labels – and it is indeed, just “red” vinegar:
I’m not even going to use it. It’s not the same. It’s not the real thing. I don’t need red food coloring.
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Yeah, it kinda looks bogus… don’t use it there are better brands out there …
P.S: I see a reflection 🙂
Chikapappi – you are one smart cookie. Would you recognize me on the street from that reflection? And I agree, I’m not going to use it. I’d rather pay more and get fewer chemicals!
mmmm ick!
but can’t you get balsamic there? or cider vinegar? or pomegranate? they’re all sold here – and at the normal groceries, not just the Monoprix – but maybe Lebanese taste buds are different from Kuwaiti ones 😀
I can get great balsamic vinegar here, Little Diamond, but “wine” vinegar is something else entirely. Sometimes they sell wine vinegar as red vinegar, but this is just white vinegar with food coloring.
Pomegranate vinegar – yummmmmm! I would love to try that!
actually you can find wine vinegar at the gourmet food section in co-ops .. i know i found some in shamiya co-op
Thanks, Noura! I will check! I bought this at the co-op, too . . .
So wine vinegar doesn’t have any wine in it? We bought some from abroad. It has been a while, and it sort of smells like alcohol at the moment. We haven’t used it, and are reluctant to do so..
N. – I don’t think it does. I think it is red grapes that are not considered high enough quality to be wine – I am guessing that a difference between wine and vinegar might be the fermentation process, but that would just be a guess. Everyone I know who makes their own wine uses fruit juices, not necessarily grape juice, and the key is fermentation. . .I think. If you’ve had it for a while, do you think it might have fermented? Mostly when wine goes bad, it gets vinegar-y. Hmmm, I think I am just babbling. Maybe someone else knows the real answer!
Here is the definition from Wikipedia:
Vinegar is a liquid produced from the fermentation of ethanol in a process that yields its key ingredient, acetic acid. The acetic acid concentration ranges typically from 4 to 8 percent by volume for table vinegar [1] (typically 5%) and higher concentrations for pickling (up to 18%) although in some countries the minimum strength may be less. Natural vinegars also contain smaller amounts of tartaric acid, citric acid, and other acids. It has been used since ancient times, and is an important element in Western and European, Asian, and other traditional cuisines of the world.
The word “vinegar” derives from the Old French vin aigre, meaning “sour wine.” Louis Pasteur showed in 1864 that vinegar results from a natural fermentation process.
Interesting information! I never knew that. It certainly does looks like it has fermented! Oh well, I guess its better to be safe than sorry we’ll probably dispose of it. Thanks a lot! This couldn’t have come at a better time!
N. – “When in doubt, toss it out!” 😉
ewww! I have to admit I’ve never thought to check the label on my red wine vinegar… I’ll definitely do so in the future.
I think in the US most red vinegars would be wine vinegars because there isn’t the stigma against alcohol. But I don’t think they contain alcohol, but maybe there is a trace. Eeeeeew, imagine trying to drink wine vinegar for a buzz. . .