Page 145 - The Secrets Of Vinegar

Coconut Palm or Toddy Vinegar
Toddy is the sap obtained from cutting the inflorescence10 or stem of unbloomed coconut palm flowers. This sap is used to make syrup, raw or granulated sugar, fermented beverages, distilled alcohol (arrack11), or vinegar. Fresh toddy contains 12% to 15% sugar, similar to the percentage found in cane sugar. It is a milky, whitish, slightly alcoholic liquid also known as palm wine. Toddy vinegar is made by fermenting fresh toddy until it becomes acidic, and it is used to prepare vinegar solutions and to season various dishes. The vinegar is clear, with a clean, smooth, refined flavor.
Pure White Vinegar
Plain white vinegar is made either by distilling malt vinegar or with a simple mixture of acetic acid and water. Cornstarch (a sugar) is also used as a base. It is fermented and then distilled into a neutral alcohol, which is then fermented into white vinegar.
White vinegar containing 5% acetic acid can be found in most North American pantries. It is used as a condiment, as a cooking and baking ingredient, in salad dressings, mayonnaise, mustard, ketchup, salsa, barbecue sauces, hot sauces, and marinades, and for preserving as well as cleaning.
Vinegar is the best multi-purpose cleaning product available and has been used for centuries to remove stains and soap residue, kill mold, and clear clogged drains and pipes. It is also an extremely effective polishing agent, tartar remover, fabric softener and deodorizer.
10 Inflorescence is the flowering part of a plant.
11 Arrack (also known as arraki, arack, arak, or raki) is derived from the Arabic work arak, meaning “condensation.” There are many different arrack producers as well as many varieties of arrack, and it can also made with rice or palm tree sap. In Greece, for example, it is made from grain, and in the Middle East and in Egypt from dates or grapes.
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