What is living vinegar
Vinegar is so much more than just grapes. We use many fresh ingredients as the base including pear, blackcurrants and citrus. This eclectic mix of quality, seasonal produce makes our vinegar alive; alive with flavour, depth and acidity. That said, it’s not the real reason that our vinegars are classified as living. It’s down to our old friend, bacteria.
The mother of all
A living vinegar is one that contains real, live bacteria to keep the liquid alive. For any vinegar to live, it requires a living mother, also known as a vinegar mother, the mother of vinegar (MOV) or simply the mother. The mother creates the ideal environment for the conversion of alcohol to acetic acid, which ultimately creates vinegar. When you think of the mother, you might associate it with the wobbly gelatinous substance that forms on the surface of fermenting liquids like kombucha. However, ours is a liquid containing live acetic acid bacteria. We make it ourselves in Copenhagen through an ongoing process. It is constantly in motion and being aerated so it never develops the cellulose and allows the bacteria to disperse evenly throughout the liquid. This is a more efficient process than using the jelly-like mass composed of cellulose and living acetic acid bacteria.
Most commercial and industrial companies filter and pasteurise their vinegars. At Eddike, we pay respect to nature by keeping the living mother and never treating our vinegars with heat. Every bottle contains some of the living bacteria because the vinegar is unfiltered, unpasteurised and raw. This preserves the naturally occurring antioxidants, vitamins and amino acids. Visually, the final product will be cloudy with some sediment at the bottom of the bottle - which we like to call the good stuff.
A healthy culture
We are fascinated by living vinegars and the entire process of making them from start to finish. When companies pasteurise their vinegars and add sulfites, they kill the naturally occurring live bacteria and remove the MOV. By cultivating our own mother, we are in total control of caring for our vinegars and overseeing their development. Another reason why we choose not to pasteurise or filter our vinegars is to ensure they contain as many vitamins and minerals as possible. Good microbes are vital for a healthy microbiome. Through the fermentation process, we witness how these living microbes react and behave as the product develops. We preserve all the natural flavours, nutrients and personality of our products.
Thanks to its gut-friendly bacteria, vinegar is said to improve digestion and support immunity, (many individuals start each day with a gulp of apple cider vinegar) but we’re not here for the health properties, we’re here for the flavour. Living vinegar has the ability to transform a dish and create an unforgettable flavour sensation. Its versatility means it can be used in all types of cooking and baking, for sweet and savoury dishes, served hot or cold. Vinegar can save a sauce, sweeten a cake or give a kick to your Negroni. You can drizzle it on ripe fruit, cook it in brine mixtures and even use it for pickling. It’s not just a salad dresser. It’s a game changer.
The future is sweet (and sour)
Our history is steeped in the New Nordic cuisine; the movement that revolutionised food culture in Denmark and emphasises seasonality, locality and quality. Our appreciation for living vinegars was passed down from our founders Claus and Andreas and heightened by our love for pickling, intrigue with fermentation and desire to experiment. Our impulse to create flavourful and eco-conscious produce has never changed. There’s a world of flavour to be found in vinegar and we hope to open it up to you. We’ll prove that a sour taste in the mouth isn’t a bad thing.