Vinegar Pickle

 

Vinegar pickle is a generic term used to refer all pickles which are made in  vinegar base or by using vinegar as the main ingredient.  Pickling is a process by which the vegetables, meat and fruits are preserved by marinating in salt, vinegar or other acidic brines. This procedure imparts a sour or salty taste to the food. Vinegar, when used in its pure from , without the addition of salt, imparts a sour taste to the pickle. In many of the South Asian countries, vinegar is mixed with edible oil in the brine to alter the level of sourness or saltiness in a pickle.

 

The vinegars with acetic content of atleast 5% is used in the preparation of pickles. Malt vinegar is regularly used in the preparation of pickle. The malt vinegar can be purchased in its purest form as brown vinegar or it can be substituted with white distilled vinegar.


 

The white vinegars used for pickling will help to retain the color of vegetables for long period of time, whereas other colored vinegars become cloudier over the time.

 

Varieties of Vinegars used for Pickling

As, vinegars are of many types, not all of them are suitable for making pickles. Following are some of the popular types of vinegars used for pickling.

 

  • Malt Vinegar: This is very common vinegar used for pickling vegetables and fruits. It is derived from malt, rice and barley. It is also one of the cheapest vinegars available in the market and it is used for making pickles or for dressing salads. The malt vinegar is famously used in the preparation of dill pickles and pickled onions.

 

  • White Distilled Vinegar: White distilled vinegars are commonly used for pickling light-colored fruits and vegetables. This vinegar is obtained by distilling any regular colored vinegar. It imparts a very light aroma, and tart- acidic flavor to the pickles.  This also helps to retain the color of fruits and vegetables. Cucumber pickle and lime pickle are some of the popular pickles prepared using the white distilled vinegar.

 

  • Apple Cider Vinegar: An apple cider vinegar is costlier than most of the other vinegars in the market. The apple cider vinegar is normally used for pickling fruits and some vegetables like beetroot, corn, and green tomato. Beetroot relish, bread and butter pickles, corn relish, and green tomato relish are some of the pickles prepared using apple cider vinegar. The apple cider vinegar has a very fruity and mellow flavor which helps to accentuate the flavor of fruits or vegetables used in the preparation of pickles. Apple cider vinegar imparts darker tones to pickles.

 

  • Apple Cider – Flavor Distilled Vinegar: It is prepared by combining the apple cider vinegar with white distilled vinegar. It is used in the same way as the apple cider vinegar. It can be substituted in all recipes demanding for apple cider vinegar.

 

  • Red Wine Vinegar: This type of vinegar is used for pickling some pungent vegetables like horseradish. As red wine vinegar is costlier than most other forms of vinegars,it is not used regularly for making pickles.  The good quality aged red wine vinegar imparts a tangy taste to the pickle.  Cheaper varieties are known to impart sour taste to pickles.

 

References: pickles-and-spices.com