Unfortunately, any wine can turn sour and eventually turn into vinegar. It is easy to determine that this trouble has occurred by the peculiar smell and taste.
Vinegar souring is a very common and dangerous disease. Both young and old wines are susceptible to it.
The drink turns into vinegar quite quickly if there is constant access to oxygen in the container with wine. Acetic acid bacteria are always present in fermented wine.
If the mechanism of acetic fermentation has already started in the wine, then it is impossible to save the drink. There is a small chance to restore wine while maintaining its quality only at the initial stage of the process.
Causes of vinegar fermentation
The vinegar fly actively reproduces during the winemaking period. It carries spores of acetic acid bacteria. These microorganisms are found in large quantities on rotten and damaged fruits, on tools and utensils that are used in wine production. Therefore, it is almost impossible to completely eliminate their presence in wine.
At favorable conditions(oxygen influx and temperature from 10 0 to 45 0) they are activated, begin to multiply rapidly, breaking down molecules of wine alcohol into plain water and acetic acid.
Depending on the available oxygen and alcohol, as well as temperature regime, souring of the product takes from three to five days.
Bacteria stop their activity when there is practically no alcohol left in the liquid. The alcohol content of wine vinegar is less than 0.2%.
During production and storage, the process of vinegar fermentation can begin in both home and industrial wines. What can be done to prevent aromatic wine from turning into vinegar?
Chemical preservatives
Wineries make preventive additives that block the development of microorganisms. These special substances are called preservatives. Most of them are dangerous to humans, so their dose in wines is minimal.
The most common preservatives used in wine production are sulfides (sulfur compounds). In some countries, such as Australia and the USA, the sulfur content of wine is required to be indicated on the label.
At large wineries, sulfidization of wine should be done three times: at the stage of fermentation of pulp or wort, after fermentation is complete and before bottling the finished wine.
It is not recommended to use chemical preservatives at home, but if there is such a need or desire, then this must be done very carefully and strictly monitor the amount of preservative that is added to the drink.
Sulfur, as an excellent preservative, was used in winemaking by the ancient Greeks. This chemical substance prevents oxidation of the drink. The sulfitation process gives the wine a clean, fresh, persistent aroma.
A drink not treated with sulfur quickly loses its original aroma. Sulfur also helps maintain the purity and richness of wine, making it more transparent.
Provided that the technology is followed, the doses of sulfur are microscopic, therefore they do not affect the taste and smell of wine, and do not harm human health.
Prevention
At home, you should strictly follow the wine preparation technology.
Acetic fermentation is a disease that is easier to prevent than to treat.
Preventive measures during material preparation and fermentation:
To avoid air flow into the wort, high-quality water seals are used. You can buy it or make it yourself. A properly selected and installed water seal seamlessly removes carbon dioxide formed during the fermentation process from the fermentation tank and serves as a reliable barrier to atmospheric air.
It is better to pour the finished wine into standard wine bottles (750 ml) and seal it hermetically. Homemade wine will be stored in a cool cellar. If this is not possible, then the wine should be stored in the refrigerator.
Fortifying the drink with vodka or alcohol (more than 17 0) also prevents the formation of wine vinegar.
Pasteurization
On initial stage The drink can be saved from souring if, which consists of heating to 60–65 degrees, holding at this temperature and cooling in air. Experienced winemakers advise filtering the wine first.
Pasteurization is quite simple if the drink is bottled in small glass bottles. To do this, place a towel on the bottom of a pan of suitable volume, and then place bottles of wine. Water is poured into the pan almost up to the neck of the wine bottles.
Place the pan on the stove, heat the contents to the specified temperature and leave for 15–20 minutes. The temperature can be monitored using a water thermometer. This can be done conveniently by placing a bottle of water in a pan with a thermometer inserted into it.
If pasteurization does not save the drink, then you can make healthy wine vinegar from it.
Any sour wine will do for this. Once the drink has started to sour, you can simply leave it open in the room for two or three hours in a glass container.
High-quality wine vinegar is aged under certain conditions. The sour wine should be poured into bottles, which are covered with a loose gauze stopper. The bottles are placed in the sold cellar for 3 months. Then it is hermetically sealed. Once a month the bottles must be opened to allow the gas to escape. When gas formation stops, the vinegar is ready.
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Almost every amateur winemaker has encountered wine diseases at least once in his life. They appear due to errors in technology, poor raw materials or improper storage. In most cases, timely detection and proper treatment can save the drink without deteriorating its quality.
It is easier to prevent the development of a disease than to save the wine. General preventive measures help save time and nerves:
- Dishes, utensils and containers (necessarily non-metallic) must be dry and sterile. This rule is important to follow at all stages.
- Carefully select raw materials, avoiding spoiled, rotten and moldy fruits.
- Strictly follow each technology point. Often, beginning winemakers neglect steps that seem unimportant to them.
- The sugar and water added must be of high quality.
- Constantly monitor the tightness of the water seal to protect the wine from contact with oxygen.
- Do not heavily dilute the wort with water, as this reduces the acidity, which makes the wine vulnerable to bacterial diseases.
- Store wine in a suitable room at the recommended temperature.
Dangerous diseases of wine
A list of intractable diseases, untimely detection and (or) elimination of which leads to irretrievable loss of wine. When signs of one of these problems are detected, the winemaker must act quickly and decisively, and hours can count.
Often, dangerous wine diseases are caused by pathogenic microorganisms that enter the wort due to unsterile hands, instruments and containers. Free access of air along with high temperature only aggravates the problem.
1. Vinegar souring. The disease is typical for natural wines with a strength below 14 degrees. Develops with access to air and high temperature(24-29°C). The causative agent is acetic bacteria, which convert alcohol into acid. The carriers are fruit flies.
At first, a slight smell of vinegar is felt, then a thin white translucent film appears on the wine, sometimes with a blue tint. After a few days, it sinks to the bottom, forming a vinegar nest - thin layer white sediment.
First stage of souring Prevention: protect wine from air access, store the drink at low temperatures(10-12°C).
Treatment: In the initial stages of the disease, film removal and pasteurization help. To do this, tightly closed bottles of wine need to be wrapped in rags and placed in a pan with a rag or wooden pallet. Then pour water up to the cork level, heat over medium heat to 60°C and cook for 10 minutes, maintaining this temperature. It is impossible to correct completely sour wine.
2. Flowering (wine mold). Appears in natural wines containing less than 12% alcohol. The causative agent is filmy yeast: microderma, candida and others, which, when exposed to oxygen and a temperature of 22-28°C, convert alcohol into carbon dioxide and water.
First, a smooth white or yellowish film forms on the surface, then it increases in size, becoming thick and uneven. At the last stage, the mold sinks down, the wine becomes cloudy, and an unpleasant musty smell and watery taste appear.
Developed wine mold Prevention: use only clean containers, protect the wine from oxygen and store at low temperatures.
Treatment: on early stages pour the wine through a thin tube into another container, without touching the layer of mold. In some cases, treatment with sulfur helps (a lit sulfur wick is dipped into a container of wine for several minutes) and pasteurization, the technology of which is described in the previous paragraph.
3. Lactic fermentation. Occurs in wines with high sugar content, contaminated with lactic bacteria. The disease develops at a temperature of 20-25°C in the depths of the wine. In bright light, you can see the affected layers; inside they have long threads. As a result, the wine becomes cloudy, a characteristic smell of pickled vegetables and an unpleasant sour taste appear.
Prevention: do not use containers and devices that have been in contact with dairy products.
Treatment: pasteurization, clarification of wine and its subsequent filtration.
4. Mannitol fermentation. Disease of red wines with an alcohol content of up to 14%, the pulp of which was heated for better extraction of coloring substances. The causative agent is heat-loving mannitol bacteria, which break down fructose and organic acids in wine into specific mannitol alcohol, acetic and lactic acids. With this disease, the wine becomes cloudy, but its color does not change. The drink has an unpleasant aftertaste that causes nausea.
Prevention: use clean containers, do not heat the pulp.
Treatment: effective methods there is no control against mannitol bacteria.
5. Propionic fermentation. It is caused by bacteria (Bacterium tartarophorum, Bact. mannitopoeum, Bact. gracile, Micrococcus variococcus), which convert tartaric acid into propionic and acetic acid. Affected wine becomes cloudy. Over time, white wines develop a bluish color, while red wines develop a yellow-brown color.
Prevention: sterility of materials and containers.
Treatment: pasteurization and clarification.
6. Obesity. Characteristic of young sweet wines with low acidity and minimal tannin content. The cause is the bacterium Bacillus viscosus vini, which forms mucus in wine. Sick wine gradually thickens, becomes viscous and slimy. The consistency first resembles butter, then egg white.
“Fat” wine becomes thick and cloudy Prevention: regulate the acidity and sugar in the wine, do not overly dilute the wort with water.
Treatment: in the early stages, ventilation (pouring wine in air from one container to another), pasteurization and treatment with sulfur helps.
7. Mouse taste. Can affect any wine: red, white, sparkling (champagne), dry, table, dessert and fortified. Diseased wine develops an unpleasant metallic taste and the smell of mouse excrement. Gradually, the drink becomes cloudy, and the unpleasant aftertaste intensifies, leading to complete spoilage of the wine.
The nature of the mouse taste is still poorly understood; it is assumed that this disease has two causes. The first is yeast bacteria close to mold, the second is the complex biochemical processes that occur in the wort with an excess of iron. But these are just hypotheses.
Treatment: lightening, acidification and (or) sulfur fumigation.
8. Bitterness (Rancidity). Wines produced using rotten raw materials are bitter (one is enough bad fruit). Another reason is that the wine was not filtered for a long time after active fermentation and the sediment began to rot.
Prevention: compliance with production technology, careful selection of raw materials.
Treatment: it is impossible to completely get rid of bitterness in wine; in mild cases, you can try to soften the taste by adding sugar or wine alcohol (10-15% of the volume).
9. Cork disease. The reason is the use of a non-sterile cork plug, in the micropores of which pathogenic bacteria live. The wine has an unpleasant odor rotten wood.
Cortical plug can cause illness Prevention: sterilization of cortical plugs, use of artificial plastic or silicone analogues.
Treatment is impossible.
Disadvantages (flaws, defects) of wine
Undesirable changes in the taste and color of wine, spoiling its organoleptic properties. Often the causes of defects lie in the mistakes or inexperience of the winemaker. Fortunately, they are easily removable, and many go away on their own over time without outside intervention.
1. Cloudiness. Typical for homemade wines made from pears, plums and other fruits containing little tannic acid. Cloudiness also occurs when the temperature of unfermented sweet wine increases, for example, when the drink is transferred from the cellar to a warm room. IN suitable conditions yeast fungi are reactivated, causing secondary fermentation.
If the reason is in the fruit, then even after prolonged aging the wine will remain cloudy. During repeated fermentation, the wine suddenly begins to become cloudy.
In the first case, the problem is solved by clarifying the wine with gelatin, egg white or other methods, in the second - they wait until the end of fermentation, settle the wine and drain it from the sediment.
Clarification will help cloudy plum wine 2. Browning. It happens if rotten fruits get into the raw materials. Gradually, a brown color appears in the wine from top to bottom, then it becomes cloudy.
The defect goes away on its own after a few months of exposure. The turbidity falls out as sediment at the bottom, and the wine becomes clear again. To speed up the process, you can use filtration or start secondary fermentation by adding a small portion of sugar.
3. Blackening. Appears if the wine has been in a metal container for a long time. When wine comes into contact with metal, a compound is formed that turns the drink black. This defect is clearly visible in white wines.
Over time, the blackening goes away on its own; ventilation and lightening with gelatin helps speed up the “recovery.”
4. The smell and taste of rotten eggs. It appears in three cases: when barrels are too heavily fumigated with sulfur, when the wine is not drained from the sediment for a long time after active fermentation, and when infected with wild yeast that produces hydrogen sulfide.
Ventilation helps eliminate unpleasant odor; over time, the taste stabilizes without outside intervention.
Even the most best wine a few days after opening the cork it becomes sour and unfit for consumption. This means that it has turned sour, in other words, turned into vinegar. The problem of souring is well known to home winemakers, as it can ruin any wine (apple, grape, cherry, etc.). We will look at the reasons why wine goes sour and preventive measures to preserve the drink.
Wine turns into vinegar when there is free access of air into the container. Acetic bacteria, millions of which live in fermented wine material, are activated with sufficient oxygen and a temperature of 6-45°C, converting wine alcohol into water and acetic acid. Depending on the temperature, oxygen concentration and characteristics of the wine, the souring process lasts from 3-4 days to several weeks. The activity of bacteria stops when there is almost no alcohol left (in wine vinegar it is less than 0.2% by volume).
You can determine souring by smell and taste. At first, the wine develops a specific pungent odor and sour taste. After a few days, the acidity increases and the strength drops. Therefore, opened wine cannot be stored for a long time, a maximum of 2-3 days in the refrigerator, tightly closed with a cork.
During production and storage, both store-bought and homemade wines can turn sour. To prevent this, wineries add preservatives to their drinks that block the development of vinegar bacteria. The most popular preservative is sulfites (salts of sulfuric acid). Sulfur in wine prevents the formation of acetic acid, but in high concentrations it is hazardous to health.
A water seal helps protect homemade wine from air during fermentation - a special device that hermetically seals the container, but allows carbon dioxide released during the fermentation process to escape. The finished wine is bottled, hermetically sealed with corks and stored at low temperatures.
Vinegar souring refers to “wine diseases” that “cannot be cured.” This means that once the wine has turned into vinegar, it is no longer possible to correct it. In the initial stages of souring (in the first few days), some winemakers try to stop acetic fermentation by pasteurization homemade wine.
To do this, they heat the drink in glass bottles to 60-65°C and boil it for 20 minutes. But even a small amount of vinegar in wine spoils the taste, and there is no guarantee that pasteurization will help stop souring. In most cases, sour wine is simply poured out or homemade wine vinegar is made from it.
Any red or white wine is suitable for making vinegar; you can use homemade wine. It is enough to leave a glass (very important) bottle of wine open at room temperature for 2-3 weeks.
Back in the 1st millennium BC. e. noticed that if a container of grape wine is left open, then after 2-3 weeks the wine sours and turns into vinegar. Interestingly, in our world today, we still use this simple product that people discovered, most likely by accident. The French gave it a short but clear name “vinaigre” - “sour wine”. It was later that vinegar began to be made from vegetables, fruits, grains, honey, molasses, but the principle of production remained unchanged: first, plant products were subjected to alcoholic and then acetic acid fermentation (see “Science and Life” No. 7, 2002, p. 108).
Ancient people quickly found a wide variety of uses for vinegar. Around 5000 BC. e. The Babylonians began infusing vinegar with herbs and spices and using it as a preservative and seasoning. Roman legionaries, having arrived in Egypt, learned to disinfect water by adding a little vinegar to it, and thus obtain a drink that quenches thirst well. The myth of how Queen Cleopatra of Egypt dissolved pearls in wine or vinegar and drank this unique elixir to preserve youth is still popular. The legend that amazes the imagination of ordinary people is unlikely to correspond to reality, since pearls cannot be dissolved in wine, but it can be dissolved in strong vinegar. Cleopatra was characterized by extravagant actions, and it is quite possible that she surprised and delighted the Roman conquerors by dissolving large pearls, demonstrating her wealth and power. But it is difficult to assume that the queen of Egypt drank a glass or two of a solution of pearls in strong vinegar, which could burn the mucous membrane of the esophagus and stomach; most likely, this is a beautiful fiction.
Residents of ancient Greece and Ancient Rome knew how to preserve fruits, vegetables and meat using vinegar. Hippocrates, whose works are a comprehensive overview of medical knowledge of the 5th century BC. e., praised vinegar as medicine, which can help a person in his fight against infectious diseases. The effect of vinegar, which quenches thirst and disinfects wounds, is also mentioned in the Bible.
When and how the Russian people became acquainted with vinegar, history is silent, but the first written confirmation that it was well known to them is in a literary monument of the mid-16th century, known as “Domostroy,” which says: “Vinegar is made from the best wort.” , keep it carefully and warm, approach it clean... ferment it for four weeks, or even longer, on the stove, and put in that vinegar a kopeck worth of honey molasses or more, and a little peas, and add a ladleful of wheat, and also they put cranberries and oak bark, and sometimes iron.”
Still life with plate and piece raw meat. Painting by Italian artist Carlo Magini, 18th century.
Food grade vinegar
It all starts with the vine. During the grape harvest.
The word “vinegar” now refers to two completely different products. One of them is called “table, or alcohol, vinegar” and is an aqueous solution of acetic acid obtained by fermenting an aqueous solution of alcohol or synthetically. The other is called “natural vinegar,” and it is obtained as a result of acetic acid fermentation of alcohol-containing liquids, such as grape wine, cider (low-alcohol apple wine), beer wort, fermented honey and juices of various berries and fruits. In such liquids, the oxidation of ethanol to acetic acid occurs due to the enzymes of the acetic bacterium Acetobaderaceti. As a result, in finished product It turns out not only acetic acid, but also malic, lactic, citric, ascorbic acid, a small amount of esters, aldehydes, pectin substances and other organic compounds that give food vinegar a special mild taste and pleasant aroma. Acetic acid diluted with water, obtained chemically, is completely devoid of such qualities.
The strength of natural vinegar is 4–6%, table vinegar is 6–9%. A bottle with natural vinegar may contain natural sediment, but with table vinegar such sediment is impossible. And finally, natural vinegar is one and a half times or more more expensive than table vinegar.
The main component of food vinegar, by which its strength is assessed, is acetic acid - a natural acid that is involved in various metabolic reactions in the body. Acetic acid is the initial product of the biosynthesis of fatty acids, from which fats and fat-like substances (lipids) of humans, animals, plants and sterols are then formed, contained in the cell membranes of all living organisms. Sterols include, for example, human and animal cholesterol and plant sitosterol.
There is no reason to single out any of the natural vinegars for their medicinal properties, since any of them has an antimicrobial effect when used externally, stimulates appetite and improves digestion when taken orally. But vinegar should not be used to treat any diseases and, moreover, it should be handled very carefully in cooking. You should make it a rule to use only natural vinegar, avoiding its use where possible. Natural vinegar is absolutely necessary only when preparing marinades and in very small quantities as a seasoning, which gives salads, meat and vegetable dishes a piquant touch and makes you want to eat them.
Those who have even the slightest degree of problems with the gastrointestinal tract should not use vinegar, especially if it concerns inflammatory diseases with high acidity. And it makes no sense at all to drink it to “lose weight,” “remove toxins,” and “improve complexion,” because vinegar is very nutritious and is the very building block from which fat and cholesterol are synthesized in the body, and the pallor of the face after drinking vinegar only indicates about mild poisoning.
... natural
Balsamic vinegar. Just a few drops of this vinegar highlight the taste of strawberry dessert, peaches and other fruits, as well as an ordinary omelet and even ice cream.
Among natural vinegars, it is customary to distinguish the following types of vinegars.
Wine vinegar
It is obtained by acetic acid fermentation grape wine, finished vinegar should contain less than 6% acetic acid. In addition to acetic acid, it contains other organic acids, esters, aldehydes and numerous wine fermentation products. Classic red wine vinegar is made from selected Bordeaux wines (cabernet, merlot, etc.). This vinegar is aged for a long time in oak barrels, due to which it acquires a unique taste and aroma. Spanish wine vinegar is made from Andalusian sherry. It has a slightly woody aroma and an amber color. It matures in oak barrels for 12 years. It is added in very small quantities to any dish where the recipe calls for vinegar, but is especially good in sauces and salads.
White wine vinegar is famous for its subtle aroma and refined, mild taste. For salad dressing, this vinegar is lightly sugared.
A kind of wine vinegar can be prepared at home from dry wine by heating it over medium heat until it reduces by three in volume. If desired, add a little sugar to the resulting thick liquid.
Fruit vinegar
Made from fermented fruit juices or from alcohol or wine vinegar with the addition of fruit juices or fruit extracts. Used for preparing drinks, for acidifying cabbage soup, borscht, for dressing salads and vinaigrettes, preparing sauces, mayonnaise, for canning vegetables and fruits.
Fruit vinegar
It is obtained by acetic acid fermentation of fruit wine. It has a good aroma and taste. Contains no less than 4% acetic acid and no more than 1% alcohol.
Apple cider vinegar is the most popular in our country. It adds a slight sourness and fresh smell to any dish. Apple cider vinegar is especially good in salads, soups, vegetable stews, and stewed vegetables.
Natural apple cider vinegar is usually an imported product; domestic apple cider vinegar is rare.
Malt vinegar
It is made from beer wort, which undergoes complete fermentation and has a characteristic straw-yellow or light brown color, a peculiar fresh aroma and a mild, pleasant taste. Contains 6–6% acetic acid. Malt vinegar is very popular in England, where traditional English dishes such as fish and chips are prepared with it. It is also used for canning - it gives marinades a brown color. Cheap malt vinegar is made by diluting acetic acid to 4–8% and coloring the resulting solution with caramel.
White vinegar
It is purified malt vinegar with a unique smell and taste. Preferred for marinades with spices, which are used for canning fruits.
Real white vinegar should not be confused with acetic acid diluted in water; unfortunately, it is often called white vinegar.
Rice vinegar
Obtained from rice grains in Japan, China, Korea and Indochina. It can have a light or darker color and a sweetish, woody aroma. It is sometimes sweetened or infused with various seasonings.
Rice vinegar is less strong than apple cider vinegar or alcohol vinegar. It is used for dressing salads, preparing tomato sauces, marinating meat, and diluted with water as a soft drink.
Cane vinegar
Produced from sugar cane. The taste is subtle, refined, sweetish. Distributed in Indonesia and the Philippines.
... balsamic
A special place is occupied by balsamic, or balsamic, vinegar, considered among connoisseurs of good food the best vinegar in the world. Initially it was used for medicinal purposes, and only later did it become firmly established in the kitchen. In the past, the consumption of this exquisite vinegar was the privilege of a limited circle of the aristocracy and people of good means. Balsamic vinegar was used to flavor dishes prepared for special occasions. It was added drop by drop to ready-made dishes or shortly before cooking, so that the aroma would not evaporate. Sometimes such vinegar was presented as an expensive and rare gift.
To produce balsamic vinegar, ripe grapes are pressed to produce must, which is filtered and stored in vats at low temperatures to prevent alcoholic fermentation. Then part of the wort is concentrated, reducing its volume to 1/3 of the original, and the other part is fermented first to wine and then to vinegar. Both parts are combined in barrels made of larch, where the fermentation process continues until the highest standards are achieved. Then the vinegar is poured into round oak barrels with holes for the vinegar to interact with the surrounding air and kept for a long time, during which its taste and smell are formed. Ready-made balsamic vinegar, which is a thick, more or less dark liquid with an exquisite harmonious sweet and sour taste, a unique aroma and containing 6% acetic acid, is bottled only in branded glass bottles.
The most and well-deservedly popular balsamic vinegar is Aceto Balsamiko Tradizionale, which has been made from white grape juice in the Italian provinces of Modena and Reggio Emilia for several centuries. Its only “disadvantage” is the price - from 300 rubles (for 50 ml) and above, depending on the aging. The cheaper Aceto Balsamiko di Modena vinegar is made by mixing grape juice concentrate, wine vinegar, caramel, sugar and aromatics. It usually contains about 30% juice and 6% acetic acid and costs from 30 rubles per 50 ml.
Balsamic vinegar is especially good for marinades and delicate salad dressings.
…toilet
Toilet vinegar is a hygienic, deodorizing agent.
One of the most remarkable products of the 17th–19th centuries was toilet vinegar (Vinaigre de Toilette). It was prepared from good cologne with the addition of glacial acetic acid in certain proportions, essential oils, aromatic plants and aromatic spice extracts. Toilet vinegar was used to wipe the skin of the body in for hygienic purposes, as a deodorant and to reduce sweating on hot days, as well as to repel annoying insects.
As a hygienic product, the most popular was Cologne toilet vinegar, which consisted of 49 parts of cologne and 1 part of glacial acetic acid.
Pine toilet vinegar was most often used as a deodorizing agent, for the preparation of which we took 40 parts of cologne, 8 parts of glacial acetic acid and 1 part of pine (fir) oil.
Toilet vinegar was moistened into whiskey for headaches and given to smell for fainting caused by stuffiness and tight clothing.
Toilet vinegar has long been used to strengthen porous skin. To prepare it at home, mix 20 parts vinegar with 40 parts water and 40 parts cologne. Wipe the skin with this solution twice a day.
And the vinegar of the four thieves
Illustration from the book "Pharmacopoeia" (1884), stored in the National Library in Paris. The figure on the left and right shows the process of producing acetic acid. In the center is the inscription: “Vinegar of the Four Thieves.”
There are many versions of the legend about how, during the plague, either four robbers or four thieves sentenced to death survived, and were forced by city authorities to remove and bury corpses from the streets of the city. They say that this happened in Marseille, Toulouse or London and at the same time they call different years- late 1500s, 1628,1632 or 1722.
In all versions of the legend, the robbers owe their salvation to a certain remedy that they found in a certain place in the deserted city. At the end of the epidemic, the robbers were told that they would be pardoned if they revealed the secret of their salvation. According to the stories of the robbers, they were saved by a drink consisting of... and here in different options legends called different composition. They had only one thing in common - in all cases the product was prepared with vinegar, wine or apple. It was infused either with garlic or with herbs, among which were lavender, wormwood, rosemary, rue, thyme and mint. True, evil tongues claimed that the robbers did not find vinegar at all, but large reserves of alcohol and consumed it immeasurably, as a result of which they became thoroughly drunk, and therefore no plague was afraid of them. When the time came to explain the miracle of their salvation, they, fearing that the owners of the liquor stores they diligently visited would again accuse them of theft, claimed that they drank vinegar.
So it was, as the legend told, or otherwise, but starting from the 18th century, in the pharmacies of enlightened Europe, and then in Russia, you could buy a product called “Vinegar of the Four Thieves” or “Vinegar of the Four Thieves.” It was recommended to be used during epidemics of “contagious fevers” or more formidable “pestilences” internally and externally for wiping the body, fumigating premises and disinfecting various objects.
In France, they still claim that the robbers who were forced to bury victims of the plague in the 16th century owe their salvation to vinegar infused with garlic. But, apparently, the ignoble smell of such a potion, suitable for the rough noses of robbers in the 16th century, in the 18th century was already intolerable to the sense of smell of representatives of higher strata of society, and therefore, under the intriguing name that was popular, pharmacies began to sell vinegar infused with garlic and aromatic herbs
To prepare refined “four thieves vinegar” at home using ancient technology, you need to take 1 liter of natural apple or wine vinegar and two tablespoons of chopped fresh herbs lavender, rosemary, sage, wormwood, rue and mint. Place the herbs in a bottle, add vinegar, mix well, cap and leave in the sun for two weeks, then open and add six cloves of garlic. Close again, shake the contents well and leave in the sun for another week. Strain, pour into a clean bottle and cap.
“Vinegar of the Four Thieves”, from a modern point of view, undoubtedly has a strong antimicrobial effect, against which at least one causative agent of numerous diseases is unlikely to resist, but it is recommended to use such a “potion” only externally, since in addition to vinegar, it contains two rather poisonous, if taken internally in large quantities, herbs - wormwood and rue.
There are different opinions regarding how much garlic should be added to the vinegar to make the “same” vinegar of the four thieves. According to one of them - the more, the better, according to the other - it would be nice to observe the measure, but history has not conveyed to us what.
An indispensable assistant
To make homemade vinegar, you can use fruits and berries grown in the garden. The cooking technology is almost the same. Fruits (apples, pears, plums) or berries (currants, gooseberries, rowan) are poured with boiled water, sugar is added and left to ferment, which lasts approximately two months. The container in which the fermentation process takes place must have a wide neck and be covered with a double layer of gauze, which provides air access, because without it, good vinegar will not be made.
The finished vinegar is stored in a dark place at room temperature, and the longer the berry vinegar sits, the better; apple - it is recommended to store no more than two years.
To give the finished vinegar a pleasant aroma, herbs are added to it: tarragon, mint, lemon balm, basil, lovage, St. John's wort, marjoram, thyme. After 15–20 days, when the extraction (extraction) of aromatic substances is completed, the vinegar is filtered.
Seeds are also used to flavor the finished vinegar. herbs: equal parts dill, celery, caraway, anise, coriander seeds.
To prevent the vinegar from spoiling, place the filled, sealed bottle in a water bath, boil the water for 20–30 minutes, and allow the bottle to cool in the same water.
Considering that acetic acid in large quantities has a negative effect on the body, at home it is better to prepare weakly acidic marinades using wine, fruit or fruit vinegar containing 0.2–0.6% acid.
In the marinade, it would be more correct to say - marinade filling, to add additional taste and aroma, add cinnamon sticks, allspice black and white peppercorns, mustard seeds, clove buds, bay leaves.
Apple cider vinegar
Apples - 500 g, honey or granulated sugar - 150 g, St. John's wort (inflorescences) - 50 g, water - 1 liter.
Apples, including carrion, are washed, damaged areas and wormholes are removed, cut, poured with chilled boiled water, granulated sugar is added and left to ferment.
The finished vinegar is filtered, poured into bottles with a narrow neck, into which St. John's wort inflorescences are placed in advance, and sealed with stoppers.
Green gooseberry vinegar
Gooseberries (unripe berries) - 1 kg, granulated sugar - 200 g, tarragon (greens) - 50 g, water- 2 l.
The berries are washed, kneaded, poured with boiled chilled water, granulated sugar is added and left to ferment.
After the fermentation process is completed, it is filtered, bottled with a narrow neck and infused with fresh sprigs of tarragon (tarragon).
Marinade with balsamic vinegar
Mix 1/4 cup lemon juice, 2 tbsp. spoons olive oil, 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar, 2 cloves crushed garlic, 3 teaspoons sugar and 2 teaspoons chopped thyme.
Fruit vinegar with basil
Pure basil, preferably purple, is placed in a bottle (without compacting, as much as will go in) and filled with fruit vinegar. Vinegar is good for meat marinades and for future use.
Vinegar with tarragon, hot pepper and dill umbrellas
Place 1–2 sprigs of flowering tarragon, 1 pod of red hot pepper, and dill umbrellas into the bottle and fill it with fruit vinegar. Infused vinegar is used to marinate meat, fish, and as a seasoning for raw and cooked vegetables.
Fruit vinegar with garlic, lemon and hot pepper (American recipe)
Peel the garlic, fill the sterilized bottle about 1/5 full with slices, add chopped lemon,
1 pod of hot pepper. Pour in fruit vinegar and leave for 2-3 weeks.
The prepared vinegar is served with meat and fish; it serves as a spicy dressing for vegetable salads.
White wine vinegar with orange
Place the zest of 1 orange and basil sprigs, cut into strips, into a clean bottle. Filled with white wine vinegar and leave for 2-3 weeks.
Strawberries with balsamic vinegar
To 500 g strawberries ( garden strawberries) add 2-3 tbsp. spoons of balsamic vinegar and 1—
2 tbsp. spoons of granulated sugar.
After 1 hour, dessert can be served.
Old Russian vinaigrette
They say that the name “vinaigrette” appeared during the reign of Alexander I. The famous French chef Antoine Carême, who worked in the palace kitchen, observing the work of Russian chefs, became interested in preparing a salad unknown to him. Seeing that ready dish the cooks are pouring vinegar, Karem, pointing at him, asked: “Vinegar”? (in French vinaigre - vinegar). It seemed to the cooks that he had pronounced the name of the dish, and they nodded their heads in agreement: “Vinaigrette, vinaigrette...” So a new name for the dish appeared on the royal menu, which, having gone beyond the palace, was simplified beyond recognition and soon became a common snack for Russian people.
Some idea of what kind of vinaigrette was served in St. Petersburg and Moscow restaurants can be given by a recipe for a vinaigrette called “Starorussky”.
You will need: 2 beets, 3–5 potatoes, 3 pickled cucumbers, 100 g of pickled porcini mushrooms, salt and pepper to taste, 50 g of capers, 100 g of white beans, 100 g of pike perch fillet, a little fresh cabbage, 1 teaspoon of prepared mustard , 3 tbsp. spoons vegetable oil, 0.5 cups vinegar.
Beets are boiled or baked, potatoes and white beans are boiled. Cabbage is chopped and poured hot water and stand until it becomes soft, then put it in a colander and squeeze it out. The pike perch is fried until cooked, salted and peppered. The prepared beets, potatoes, mushrooms and peeled cucumbers are cut into slices, mixed, beans, cabbage, capers and sliced fish are added. Stir, pour over the sauce and stir again.
To prepare the sauce, take a little cold water, stir sugar, mustard, pepper, salt in it and, stirring constantly, pour in a little oil and dilute with vinegar.
The vinaigrette is placed in a heap in a salad bowl, with finely chopped beets and pickles left for decoration around it.
Add vinegar to the water in which the beets are boiled and they will retain their original color.
Pour vinegar into the water (1 tablespoon) in which the rice is cooked, and it will become snow-white and crumbly.
Pour in 1 tbsp. spoon of vinegar in 2 liters of water and wash your hands, as well as the dishes that smell of herring, and the smell will disappear.
Mix 1 tbsp. spoon of vinegar and 1 teaspoon of salt and wipe with this mixture (using gloves) nickel-plated pots and pans in which fatty foods were cooked, and the dishes will become clean.
Rinse a pottery dish that has been covered for a long time with a vinegar solution and has acquired an unpleasant odor several times, and the smell will disappear.
Before using new pottery, boil a 4% acetic acid solution in it for half an hour.
Add 1-2 tbsp. spoons of vinegar into water and rinse glass glasses, glasses, vases in it, and they will again acquire a bright shine.
Pour 1 teaspoon of vinegar essence into 2 liters hot water and rinse glass vases and decanters, the walls of which are covered with a whitish sediment, and the sediment will dissolve.
Wipe the aluminum cookware with a 3-5% solution of acetic acid (using rubber gloves), then rinse it with hot water, and the darkened coating on the inner surface will disappear.
Wipe the surface of earthenware and porcelain dishes with vinegar - this will return it to its former shine.
A mixture of equal parts vinegar and water can remove stains from a leather bag. Table vinegar also removes streaks (white spots) from shoes.
Photos and recipes by G. Poskrebysheva.
Sokolsky I
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