[Sca-cooks] Vinegars

[Susan Lord Williams]

On Aug 1, 2014, at 3:18 PM, Susan Lord Williams <lordhunt at gmail.com> wrote:

> A reader of my blogs, http://www.medievalspanishchef.com/,  once asked what type of vinegar she should use for a particular recipe. Up until then I was even more ignorant than I am today about different types. I now see we have apple vinegar and wine vinegar but medieval recipes call for “strong” vinegar or “acid” vinegar. Today, I chose an apple vinegar that was darker than another brand hoping that it is stronger but what do I know? How can we tell if a particular vinegar is stronger, more acid or whatever?
> 
> See Perry’s translation of Al-Andalus recipe 505:
> SYRUP OF SIMPLE SIKANJABÎN (OXYMEL) #507 JARABE DE “SAKANŶZBĪN[1]” SIMPLE, p 277
> 
>  Ingredients
> 
> 
>  1 lb strong vinegar
> 
> 
> 2 lbs sugar
> 
>  6 oz acid vinegar
> 
> 
> 1 lb honey
> 
> 1 lb sugar
> 
> [1] cited by al-Shaquri, p. 49r. The word means honeyed vinegar.
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