Throughout time, vinegar has been given many different uses. It can be made from pretty much any kind of food through a process called fermentation that breaks down the sugars present in the ingredients to turn them into alcohol. Apple cider vinegar particularly is made when the apple juice is fermented to hard cider which then undergoes further fermentation to create apple cider vinegar.
The Babylonians, who made vinegar from date palms, were the first recorded case of using vinegar approximately five thousand years ago. Vinegar could have been in use since much before, as the bacterium that turns any food -whether dates, apples, grains, etc. - into vinegar is present in the air.
The Babylonians used apple cider vinegar as a condiment and to preserve their food. The Greeks were also known to use apple cider vinegar in their food recipes and it is believed that the Greek Hippocrates, the father of medicine, was among the first people to begin using vinegar to treat health ailments. Sailing vessels were known to carry supplies of apple cider vinegar to prevent scurvy. Parisians in the Middle Ages used apple cider vinegar as a deodorant and youth preservative.
In ancient times, adding vinegar to water had the benefit of killing the bacteria present in the water. This property is what made apple cider vinegar a perfect pickling agent that would preserve food and still maintain its good taste.
Apple cider vinegar also had a wide use in the military. When diluted with water, it was used as an energizing and strengthening tonic. This mixture of vinegar and water was what the Romans called "posca" which they drunk regularly as did the Japanese samurai. Apple cider vinegar and all other types of vinegar was a useful tool for cleaning and disinfecting wounds due to its antiseptic properties. It was used in this fashion during the American Civil War and through World War I.
European alchemists were quite interested in vinegar for it strong dissolving properties. Alchemists would pour the vinegar over lead, dissolving the metal and creating a substance which they called "sugar of lead" and they would use this mixture to sweeten hard cider. What alchemists didn't know at the time is that the mixture was actually lead acetate, a poisonous chemical substance, and it caused the death of many cider drinkers.
Today, apple cider vinegar is still widely used for many of these same purposes. It is frequently used for making food as well as many other peculiar purposes. It so happens that it functions as an effective cleaning and polishing agent. Many people use it for health benefits such as skin and hair care. People have also reported to have used apple cider vinegar in a diluted form to keep their pets free of ticks and fleas.
Apple cider vinegar shares most of these properties with all other types of vinegar. However, apple cider vinegar might prove to be slightly superior to other types of vinegar as it can be used for all these purposes and it has a much milder odor.
The Babylonians, who made vinegar from date palms, were the first recorded case of using vinegar approximately five thousand years ago. Vinegar could have been in use since much before, as the bacterium that turns any food -whether dates, apples, grains, etc. - into vinegar is present in the air.
The Babylonians used apple cider vinegar as a condiment and to preserve their food. The Greeks were also known to use apple cider vinegar in their food recipes and it is believed that the Greek Hippocrates, the father of medicine, was among the first people to begin using vinegar to treat health ailments. Sailing vessels were known to carry supplies of apple cider vinegar to prevent scurvy. Parisians in the Middle Ages used apple cider vinegar as a deodorant and youth preservative.
In ancient times, adding vinegar to water had the benefit of killing the bacteria present in the water. This property is what made apple cider vinegar a perfect pickling agent that would preserve food and still maintain its good taste.
Apple cider vinegar also had a wide use in the military. When diluted with water, it was used as an energizing and strengthening tonic. This mixture of vinegar and water was what the Romans called "posca" which they drunk regularly as did the Japanese samurai. Apple cider vinegar and all other types of vinegar was a useful tool for cleaning and disinfecting wounds due to its antiseptic properties. It was used in this fashion during the American Civil War and through World War I.
European alchemists were quite interested in vinegar for it strong dissolving properties. Alchemists would pour the vinegar over lead, dissolving the metal and creating a substance which they called "sugar of lead" and they would use this mixture to sweeten hard cider. What alchemists didn't know at the time is that the mixture was actually lead acetate, a poisonous chemical substance, and it caused the death of many cider drinkers.
Today, apple cider vinegar is still widely used for many of these same purposes. It is frequently used for making food as well as many other peculiar purposes. It so happens that it functions as an effective cleaning and polishing agent. Many people use it for health benefits such as skin and hair care. People have also reported to have used apple cider vinegar in a diluted form to keep their pets free of ticks and fleas.
Apple cider vinegar shares most of these properties with all other types of vinegar. However, apple cider vinegar might prove to be slightly superior to other types of vinegar as it can be used for all these purposes and it has a much milder odor.
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