What Is Apple Cider Vinegar Powder

Apple Cider Vinegar Powder, is also called cider vinegar powder, dehydrated apple cider vinegar, or powdered apple cider vinegar.

Apple Cider Vinegar Powder is an easy to use dehydrated form of apple cider vinegar with the distinctive tangy taste you would expect of the real thing. Typically used in bbq rubs, bbq sauces, and seasoning blends and has long been a hit as a secret ingredient for our competition barbecuers.

This vinegar is produced from apples that go through two separate fermentation processes. This ensures that the vinegar produced is of a high quality. The distinct flavor and familiar scent are preserved by spraying liquid apple cider vinegar on a maltodextrin carrier, allowing it to dry, and then grinding into a fine powder.

What Does Apple Cider Vinegar Powder Taste Like

A tart, vinegary flavor with a very strong aroma of sourness.

What Is Apple Cider Vinegar Used For

As mentioned earlier this is a huge hit with our competition barbecuers. Use Apple Cider Vinegar Powder any time you want extra tartness. It lightens up the heavy flavor of kidney beans and black beans, which can taste muddy if not perfectly balanced. It adds a brisk pop to chilis; stir into Mexican Chicken Chili and let it simmer with the beans and corn. It is delicious in mops to use on the grill and is an extra addition that gives barbecue sauce zing without adding heat. Mix with broth or water and aromatics like garlic and onion for a quick marinade for ribs or pork shoulder. Stir with olive oil, water, and shallots for a supremely easy vinaigrette. Like salt and vinegar chips? Toss with salt and pepper over cubed potatoes and roast for a dinner side that’s like your favorite potato chip, only with a more satisfying bite.

This cannot be reconstituted to make apple cider vinegar.

History of Apple Cider Vinegar

The word “vinegar” is a 14th-century creation, a compound word that’s a product of the Old French words for wine, vin, and sour, aigre, ultimately derived from the Latin vinum acetum, or “wine turned sour”¹. But its history goes far beyond the 14th century. We are reasonably sure that vinegar was an accidental discovery first encountered in approximately 5000 BC, when an improperly sealed cask of wine was opened in the Babylonian region of Mesopotamia², which was in modern-day Iraq and Syria. Residue from vinegar has been found in Egyptian urns that date back to 3000 BC, and in the contents of over 1,000 papyri that were written as early as 2650 BC, vinegar is mentioned as a solution that can be steeped with various roots and herbs for medical use³. Cultural anthropologists and food historians have voiced their frustration over the lack of information about vinegar’s use as a food in ancient Egypt in the dynastic periods that led up to the era of the Ptolemaic reign, which was very well versed in vinegar use. Historians are fairly sure the Egyptians had to be aware of it thanks to the tendencies of their wine and beer to turn sour⁴.

By 2400 BC, pickling in vinegar had become a commonly used method of food preservation, and most likely originated in or around Mesopotamia⁵. Our ancestors began exploring the many ways that vinegar was put to use and by 400 BC Hippocrates, the man who is credited with creating a modern medical approach and whose oath doctors swear to uphold even today, started prescribing a syrup made from vinegar and honey to combat common coughs and colds⁶. And while many of us know the story of Cleopatra’s feast⁷, and how she put vinegar’s solvent properties on display by dissolving a pearl earring in a cup and drinking it, there is a more dramatic example of vinegar’s chemical potency. In 218 BC the Carthaginian general Hannibal decided to attack Rome by taking the long way around, and he marched his army—which included 37 African elephants trained for battle—northward through the Alps. During his march the army encountered large boulders that impeded their passage, and Hannibal had his engineers heat vinegar until it was boiling and pour it over the rocks. They further heated the rocks until they turned friable and crumbled and cracked, and could be removed⁸.  

In 55 BC under the reign of Julius Caesar, the Romans came to Britain; it was there they first encountered hard cider⁹. This was a way to use the local apples which, at that point, were bitter and not fit to be eaten. The Romans enjoyed this drink so much they carried it with them through the Empire, where is enjoyed particular popularity with their Germanic and Norman legions. After the Norman conquest of England at the Battle of Hastings in 1066, cider making came roaring back into England, with cider making reaching its high point in the 17th century¹⁰.

Vinegar can and does occur naturally, but there are vinegar makers who take this craft seriously. The Middle Ages saw the industrialization of vinegar across Europe and the anointing of vinegar-makers as a guild-mastership, complete with an oath of secrecy¹¹. Today vinegar making is common—or at least easily-accessed—knowledge. In order to make cider vinegar, apple juice has to go through an initial fermentation into an alcoholic hard cider. Then it requires the introduction of an acetic acid bacteria to convert the ethanol into acid¹². This entire process can take anywhere from 6 weeks to 4 months, depending on the environment in which the cider is stored¹³. Vinegar can last almost indefinitely and, according to US FDA standards, requires that it contains a minimum of 4% acidity to ensure safety in pickling and preservation¹⁴.
 

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References

1. Etymology editors. (n.d.).Vinegar (n.). Etymonline.com. Retrieved May 2, 2022.

2. Johnston, C. S., & Gaas, C. A. (2006). Vinegar: medicinal uses and antiglycemic effect. MedGenMed : Medscape general medicine, 8(2), 61. Retrieved May 2, 2022. 

3. McGovern, P. E., Mirzoian, A., & Hall, G. R. (2009). Ancient Egyptian herbal wines. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 106(18), 7361–7366. Retrieved May 2, 2022.

4. Darby, W. J., Ghalioungui, P., & Grivetti, L. (1977). Food: The gift of Osiris (Vol 2). Academic Press. Book available online at Indian Culture. Retrieved May 2, 2022.

5. Pruitt, S. (2015, May 21). The juicy 4,000-year history of pickles. History.com. Retrieved May 3, 2022.

6, 11. Bourgeois, J. F., & Barja, F. (2009). The history of vinegar and of its acetification systems. Archives Des Sciences, 62(2), 147–161. Retrieved May 3, 2022.

7. Lorenzi, R. (2010, August 3). Cleopatra pearl cocktail proven possible. NBCNews.com. Retrieved May 3, 2022.

8. Hunt, P. (2017, January 10). Hannibal's engineers and Livy (XXI.36-7) on burned rock - Truth or legend? Stanford University. Retrieved May 3, 2022.

9. Lewis, D. (2016, December 8). The ancient origins of apple cider. Smithsonian.com. Retrieved May 3, 2022.

10. National Apple Museum Staff. (n.d.). Apple cider, apple butter, perry, and vinegar. National Apple Museum. Retrieved May 3, 2022.

12. Cousin, F., Schlusselhuber, M., Dalmasso, M., Laplace, J. M., & Cretenet, M. (2017). Microorganisms in fermented apple beverages: Current knowledge and future directions. Microorganisms, 5(3), 39. Retrieved May 3, 2022.

13. Andress, E. L., & Harrison, J. A. (2003, November). Making apple cider. National Center for Home Food Preparation. Retrieved May 3, 2022. 

14. Vinegar Institute Staff. (n.d.). Vinegar Institute: Frequently asked questions. Versatile Vinegar. Retrieved May 3, 2022.