Vinegar

[KittyGlitter]

Any ideas why vinegar can sometimes make you choke when it catches your throat?

[cherrybomb]

I don't know the answer sorry but would like to add to your question: I have malt vinegar on almost everything I eat and know the feeling, especially when you drink the vinegar left in the crisp packet or chip paper. Is it only the malt vinegar does this or do the other's as well?     

[MORELLO]

Ever since I was a child I've been partial to a few drops of Sarsons, neat, as I'm 'passing' the cupboard. My mum used to say it would dry my blood!

[brachiopod]

You two ought to get together with your (respective) vinegar fetishes.

Then again, we'd have MORELLO-cherrybomb, so perhaps not !!

[mystress]

Hi Kitty,

Vinegar is pure Acetic Acid,so I think this explains why it catches in your throat.

BTW It works wonders at cleaning windows etc.

[brachiopod]

Vinegar is actually dilute ethanoic (or acetic) acid, usually no more than 4 - 8 % by volume.

You wouldn't want to go anywhere near concentrated ethanoic acid. It's highly corrosive causing blisters to the skin, and the vapour will damage your eyes and nasal passages.

When you put vinegar on your hot chips and then inhale deeply, it makes you choke. This is because the hot chips increase the amount of vapour available for you to 'sniff up' (compared with sniffing a bottle of cold vinegar).

Real vinegars are made from naturally fermented products, such as wine, cider or "beer" (this is what 'malt' vinegar effectively is made from), which have a bacteria culture added to them to 'acetify' them (turn them to vinegar). The word 'vinegar' come from Old French 'vin �igre' meaning 'off wine'.
They actually contain a variety of organic acids (lactic, malic, tartaric acids etc.) that are all naturally produced by bacteria. It is these carboxylic acids that give real vinegars their complex aroma and taste.

The stuff you get in chip shops is NBC or 'Non Brewed Condiment'. This is made from industrial ethanoic acid diluted down to about 5% and (usually) caramel added to give it colour and a bit of 'background' sweetness.