Vinegar

Vinegar with extra virgin olive oil is one of the basic ingredients of Italian cuisine. Contrary to what one might think, there are various types of vinegar available on the market: wine, apple, rice and coconut vinegar.

Italian legislation also subdivides vinegars into the following categories:

Common vinegar: obtained from unseasoned wine, by rapid fermentation, clarified and then filtered;
Quality vinegar: obtained from fine wine, by slow fermentation and aged in wooden barrels;
Flavored vinegar: produced using quality vinegar with the addition of aromatic herbs;
Decoloured vinegar: common vinegar used above all for the preservation of pickled food;
Special vinegar: uncommon vinegar, such as balsamic vinegar.

In wine and apple vinegar, the presence of sugars is very low. Fats and proteins are absent. Traces of vitamin C, potassium, manganese and other minerals are instead present.

White vinegar has numerous disinfectant and odor neutralization properties. For these reasons it is widely used for household cleaning.