Man has been using vinegar for approximately 10,000 years: for flavouring, preserving, cleaning, healing and disinfecting, as a thirst quencher and as a cosmetic. For a long time vinegar was viewed as an unpredictable, accidental product of nature, created by bacteria converting sugar into alcohol.

It was not until 1864 that French biologist and chemist Louis Pasteur was able to unravel the secret of its origin: He discovered that tiny bacteria (from the Pseudomonaceae family) were responsible for converting alcohol into acetic acid.

A great number of stories and myths surround vinegar: In China the vinegar pot has been a symbol of life from time immemorial. In 4,000 BC “sour beer”, or alegar, was a fairly popular drink in Mesopotamia. Roman legionaries had “posca”, vinegar diluted with water, in their canteens. It was not only supposed to quench their thirst, but also to protect them from colds.

In ancient Greece rose petals pickled in vinegar were used to alleviate inflammations, skin swelling and even sunburns. The writer Athenaeus (ca. 200 AD) reported in one of the volumes of his “Deipnosophistae” (Dinner-table philosophers) that the Greeks and Romans placed high demands on the quality of vinegar. At the height of favour at that time was Egyptian vinegar, which is likely to have been produced from figs.

It is reported that Egyptian pharaoh Cleopatra once wagered that she could put together a meal costing a million sesterces for just one person (a large family could have lived very lavishly on this sum for quite a number of years). Cleopatra had exquisite foods delivered and ordered a very special drink along with them: It was pearls valued at a million sesterces dissolved in vinegar. This was how the beautiful pharaoh won the bet.

When the plague or “black death” was raging in Marseille in 1720 no one dared enter the houses of the dead for fear of becoming infected. Except for four thieves. They took everything that appeared valuable to them, but were spared from pestilence.

When they were finally caught and were to be beheaded, they negotiated leniency in exchange for their secret: They had rubbed themselves down with vinegar infused with camphor and a variety of herbs, and also rinsed out their mouths with this mixture.

The thieves were “only” hanged – and their secret recipe went down in history as “Four Thieves Vinegar”. Vinegar is currently reaching its provisional culmination as a fancy digestif in high-end gastronomy.

Vinegar is not all the same
According to the German “Ordinance on the dealings with vinegar and vinegar essence” the sour spice must contain at least 5 and at most 15.5 grams of acetic acid per 100 millilitres of liquid. Everything exceeding this is vinegar essence (up to 25 grams).

Brandy or table vinegar is produced from 96% industrial alcohol (made from sugar beet molasses, potatoes or grain), vinegar and water. It is colourless, has approx. 5 per cent acidity and a fresh-acidic aroma.

True wine vinegar is 100 per cent made from white or red wine, primarily originating from the Mediterranean area. It is characterized by approx. 6 per cent acidity and a finely acidic taste of wine, with red wine vinegar being a bit stronger and white wine vinegar having a somewhat milder taste.

Wine vinegar is a mixture of brandy and true wine vinegar (20 to 40 per cent). Being a bit more neutral in flavour, it is very well suited for herb vinegars.

Fruit vinegar: A common flavour of fruit vinegar is apple cider vinegar. It is made from apples and cider. Both fully ripe fruit as well as apple waste can be used.

Sherry vinegar (Vinagre de Jerez) comes from the Jerez region in Andalucía and, like sherry, is aged in oak barrels. It has a least 7 per cent acidity and is aged in barrels for either 6 months (Crianza) or 2 years (Reserva).

Balsamic vinegar (Aceto balsamico di Modena tradizionale) may only be produced in the Italian provinces of Modena and Reggio Emilia. It consists exclusively of the concentrated must (juice) of Tebbiano or Lambrusco grapes and must be aged for at least 12 years in wooden barrels. Depending on age, 0.1 litres costs up to 100 euros. If “tradizionale” is missing from the name it is a cheap, mostly overpriced industrial product.