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Jewish World Review Feb. 26, 2008 / 20 Adar I 5768 Vinegar: Sour Grapes or Sweet Success? By Rabbi Tzvi Rosen
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
Vinegar is one of nature's most unique and versatile products. Folklore maintains that vinegar was discovered quite by accident, when wine was inadvertently left to sour. This resulted in the first batch of full-bodied wine vinegar. Indeed, the word vinegar is derived from the French word vinagere, which means sour wine. Euphemistically, the Talmud refers to a ne'er do well son of a righteous father as a "vinegar, son of wine."
Folklore aside, vinegar was well known in the time of Tanach (Scripture). The Torah forbids a Nazarite to drink wine vinegar or eat other grape and wine products. In Psalms, Kind David asked to drink vinegar. In the Book of Ruth, Boaz's workers dipped their bread in vinegar.
The Hebrew term for vinegar, chometz (pronounced ch-oh-metz), is very much akin to the word chametz (pronounced ch-aw-maitz), leavened bread products. This etymological similarity underscores a close similarity between the production of vinegar and the leavening of bread. The chemical process that allows wine to "sour" into vinegar, and effects the leavening of flour and water, is known as fermentation. Fermentation is a natural conversion process by which yeast, a fungus found in nature, converts sugar into alcohol and carbon dioxide. In wine or bread, the natural sugar found in malted grains such as barley or corn, or in fruit juices such as grape juice or apple cider, undergo this chemical transformation.
To create vinegar, a second fermentation process has to take place. In this process, bacteria converts the alcohol into acetic acid, the sour element of vinegar. There are two methods used for vinegar fermentation: the traditional vat method, and the high volume acetobactor generator process.
In traditional vinegar fermentation, the alcoholic liquid - usually wine - is placed in specially made oak barrel casks with plenty of air holes to allow for ample aeration. The alcohol in the wine is slowly converted into acetic acid until the proper level is reached. Once this takes place, the vinegar is ready. A classic Italian favorite, balsamic vinegar, is an excellent example of a traditionally aged vinegar. Whereas regular wine vinegar takes one or two years to ferment, the grape (juice) of balsamic vinegar requires 12 years to age.
The long balsamic vinegar process requires great care to produce. The grapes have to be carefully crushed and are aged in special chestnut or mulberry barrels, where fermentation and oxidation occur simultaneously. As the vinegar ages and evaporates, the vinegar is transferred to smaller cherry and mulberry barrels for further conversion. After 12 years, the balsamic vinegar is thick, full-bodied and almost condiment-like in consistency. Authentic balsamic requires at least 12 years of aging; however, some of the mother balsamics used in this process are much older. In Modena, Italy, mother balsamic vinegars can be traced back 400 years. Due to the complex task of tracing balsamic vinegar through the matrix of time, authentic kosher balsamic would be nearly impossible to trace.
A prized bottle of authentic balsamic vinegar can cost in excess of $75.00 for a 3 1/2 oz. bottle! Today, the mass produced balsamic vinegar sold in the United States is not authentic balsamic. In reality, it is regular vinegar with balsamic wine flavoring and coloring that captures the taste and appearance of authentic balsamic. The cheapest imitations are hardly aged; medium grades are aged two years, a fraction of the time balsamic vinegar is aged. Of course, this is reflected in the price tag.
Modern day vinegar companies use the acetobactor generator system to convert large amounts of vinegar quickly and efficiently. These generators range in size from 6,000 to 18,000 gallons. The word acetobactor is a contraction of two Italian words: Aceto (vinegar) and bactor (bacteria). Bactor refers to the bacteria used in these generators to convert the alcohol into acetic acid. In lieu of fermentation, 190 proof alcohol is brought in from outside sources to be converted. The generators are filled with a solution of water, alcohol and vinegar from previous processing, bacteria, bacteria food nutrients, and beechwood shavings. The generator is kept at a constant 85°F. The alcohol circulates through the generator and is converted into acetic acid. After being drawn off from the generator, the vinegar is filtered and standardized with water to its desired strength.
The strength of the vinegar, known as grain, is determined by the percent of acetic acid in the blend. 40 grain vinegar means that there is 4% acidity, 50 grain means that there is 5% acidity, etc. These are typically consumer strength vinegars. Industrial strength vinegar can go upwards to 200 grain acidity. Industrial strength vinegar is generally 12% acidity, or 120 grain. The raw materials used for the fermentation process play a fundamental role in the taste, color and fragrance of the vinegar variety. White distilled vinegar is made from petroleum or grains, such as corn and wheat; it is clear and tastes bitter. Apple cider vinegar is much more mellow and has an amber color; red wine vinegar has a much deeper red color.
KOSHER VINEGAR MANUFACTURING
In the acetobactor generator process, a wide array of alcohols can be used for the conversion process. These alcohols may be derived from a variety of sources. It is possible that the alcohol is imported from foreign countries. If the country of origin is a heavy producer of wine or grapes, there is a reasonable assumption that the imported alcohol could be derived from grapes. In that case, if the vinegar company uses grape-derived alcohol as their base product, all the subsequent vinegar productions generated from this grape alcohol would be non-kosher! The repercussions of using non-kosher alcohol would be devastating. As previously mentioned, vinegar is considered a davar charif product that is very sharp and pungent. Since a davar charif will not be nullified in a mixture of a 1 to 60 ratio, all of the product's condiments or sauces that were flavored or mixed with the non-kosher vinegar may also be forbidden.
Of similar concern, some foreign countries such as New Zealand, a large producer of milk products, produce alcohol from fermented whey. If the company imported whey alcohol, the vinegar produced from whey alcohol would be dairy!
KOSHER FOR PASSOVER CONCERNS
VINEGAR EELS
What are vinegar eels? Vinegar eels are tiny worms that live in vinegar. They are usually found in vinegar barrels and feed off the bacteria that produce the vinegar. Vinegar eels are slender and grow to a length of 1/16" to 3/8". Filtration would generally alleviate any chashash of vinegar eels.
GLACIAL ACETIC ACID
Acetic acid is vinegar's sour component. Acetic acid can be concentrated into different strengths. When the acetic acid is concentrated to a strength of 12% or 120 grain level, the acetic acid will freeze at 16.7°C (62°F). Acetic acid that possesses this property is commonly known as glacial acetic acid. The term "glacial" indicates a product that reaches this high freezing point.
Does the term "acetic acid" imply that this is derived from vinegar? In the United States, the answer is NO! It is a known fact that in the United States, industrial acetic acid can be derived through chemical engineering more efficiently and economically than a vinegar derivation. Typically, acetic acid is derived through a chemical reaction of methanol (a petroleum derivative) and carbon monoxide, or through oxidation methods of synthetic acetaldehyde. In the United States, glacial acetic acid generally refers to acetic acid that is chemically engineered and would not present kosher concerns.
It is indeed amazing to uncover the Divine's wonders, and how they manifest themselves in so many commonplace areas. Just as vinegar enhances food, it also enhances our appreciation of G-d's bounty and the gifts provided by nature.
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