vinegar

do read it. it's interesting. i'm going to go back and read the prior ones too

De Condimentis (7): Balsamic Lies
By: Tom Nealon |

Seventh in a series of posts revealing the secret history of condiments — and the influence they’ve had upon the course of history.
Mustard, ketchup, mayonnaise, worcestershire, hot sauce, barbecue sauce — not to mention relish and pickles — none can be made without vinegar (you can actually make a really insipid mayonnaise without vinegar, but don’t do it). Without vinegar you’d be hard pressed to think of a reason to eat anything, and because it has always been so central to the act of eating, vinegar was turned into a product while most people in Europe were still flinging filth at one another. In 1394, Vinaigriers moutardiers sauciers distillateurs en eau-de-vie et esprit-de-vin buffetiers, the world’s first corporation, was formed in Orléans. Vinegar, Mustard and related products — they also had the verjuice monopoly. Once nearly as popular in cookery as vinegar, verjuice has nearly disappeared from the worlds cupboards, but deserves a mention: Made from crushed, unripe grapes, verjuice combines the acidity of vinegar with the grape-iness of wine — it lacks vinegar’s versatility, but does have the honor of appearing in Dumas’ Grand Dictionnaire de Cuisine (1873), though vinegar does not................

via