pickles, salad dressings, and mustards Distilled Vinegars Distilled vinegar in the United States is white vinegar made with distilled alcohol; in the United Kingdom, it’s vinegar that is made by acetic fermentation of unhopped beer, and then distilled to concentrate the acetic acid Vinegar Strength When developing and following recipes in which vinegar is a prominent ingredient, cooks should take care to note not only the kind of vinegar, but also the strength, which is usually indicated on the label In the United States, most industrially produced vinegars are adjusted to 5% acetic acid, but many wine vinegars are 7% or even stronger Mild Japanese rice vinegars, by contrast, may be 4% (the U.S minimum), black Chinese vinegars as little as 2% A spoonful may thus provide half as much acetic acid as expected, or twice as much, depending on the vinegars that are called for and actually used Balsamic Vinegar True balsamic vinegar, aceto balsamico, is a vinegar like no other: almost black in color, syrupy, sweet, remarkably complex in flavor, and remarkably expensive, all thanks to decades-long fermentation, aging, and concentration in wood casks It has been made in the northern Italian state of EmiliaRomagna since medieval times Individual households produced their own as a kind of general-purpose, soothing tonic, or balsam It wasn’t until the 1980s that the rest of the world discovered balsamic vinegar, a discovery that fostered the development of less elaborate and less costly approximations The label term tradizionale, “traditional,” is reserved for the original version Using Balsamic Vinegar ... wasn’t until the 1980s that the rest of the world discovered balsamic vinegar, a discovery that fostered the development of less elaborate and less costly approximations The label term tradizionale, “traditional,” is... It has been made in the northern Italian state of EmiliaRomagna since medieval times Individual households produced their own as a kind of general-purpose, soothing tonic, or balsam It wasn’t until the 1980s that the rest of the. .. vinegar like no other: almost black in color, syrupy, sweet, remarkably complex in flavor, and remarkably expensive, all thanks to decades-long fermentation, aging, and concentration in wood casks