Virtuous Vinegar

Vinegar has been a pantry staple for centuries. Unfortunately, while most of us use vinegar, few of us give the tangy condiment much thought. We relegate its use to vinaigrettes or splash it haphazardly on French fries. Furthermore, the vinegar we most often purchase is the lifeless variety known as white distilled vinegar.

Thankfully, vinegar is poised for change. Ongoing research suggests vinegar confers some amazing health benefits, and a growing number of culinary artisans are producing flavourful fruit vinegars certain to entice you from blander fare.

Health benefits

Hippocrates prescribed vinegar to his patients for a variety of ailments. Now modern science has confirmed what Hippocrates knew: vinegar can enhance health in several ways. Recent studies demonstrate that daily intake of vinegar can help reduce body weight, waist circumference, visceral fat and triglyceride levels without any other adjustments to the diet. Scientists believe acetic acid, the main component of all vinegars, helps suppress fat accumulation in the body.

That’s not the only way vinegar helps keep you trim. Other studies have shown the condiment helps people feel full longer—making it easier to avoid cravings for unhealthy, fattening foods.

Need more reasons to keep the vinegar bottle handy? Several studies have demonstrated that taking vinegar with meals causes blood sugar and insulin levels to rise more evenly. In addition, preliminary animal research indicates vinegar may also aid in reducing high blood pressure.

If you’re going to reap vinegar’s health benefits, frequent consumption is crucial. So why insult your health and palate with bland, mass-produced vinegars rife with colourants, sulphur dioxide and flavourings?

Artisanal fruit vinegars are delicious, chock full of polyphenols and versatile. Try them in sauces, dressings, marinades, stews—wherever culinary creativity takes you. To begin your vinegar exploration, consider the following tasty recipes.

Recipes

• Turkey Mango Salad with Raspberry Poppy Seed Vinaigrette
• Stuffed Chicken Breasts with Cherry Glaze
• Peach Chutney
• Lemon Gelato with Toasted Coconut and Zesty Blueberry Sauce