EXAMINATION OF VINKGAR. 59 



VINEGAK. 



A person thoroughly familiar with \ me^ar can tell much regarding 

 the source of the article from its appearance, color, odor, and taste. 



If a glass be rinsed out with the sample of vinegar and allowed to 

 stand for a number of hours or overnight, the odor of the residue 

 remaining in the glass is quite different with different kinds of \ ii it- 

 gar. Thus, wine vinegar has the odor characteristic of wine, and cider 

 vinegar has a peculiar, fruity odor. A small amount of practice with 

 this tot enables one to distinguish with a high degree of accuracy 

 between wine and cider vinegars and the ordinary substitutes. 



If a sample of vinegar be placed in a shallow dish on a warm >t ox-t- 

 or boiling teakettle and heated to a temperature sufficient for evapora- 

 tion and not sufficient to burn the residue, the odor of the warm 

 residue is also characteristic of the different kinds of vinegar. Thus. 

 the residue from cider vinegar has the odor of baked apples and the 

 flavor is acid and somewhat astringent in taste, and that from wine 

 vinegar is equally characteristic. The residue obtained by evapora- 

 ting vinegar made from sugarhouse products and from spirit and wood 

 vinegar colored by means of caramel has the peculiar, bitter taste 

 characteristic of caramel. 



If the residue be heated until it begins to burn, the odor of the 

 burning product also varies with different kinds of vinegar. Thus, 

 the residue from cider vinegar has the odor of scorched apples, while 

 that of vinegars made from sugarhouse wastes and of distilled and 

 wood vinegars colored with a large amount of caramel has the odor of 

 burnt sugar. In noting these characteristics, however, it must be 

 borne in mind that, in order to make them conform to these tests, dis- 

 tilled and wood vinegars often receive the addition of apple jelly. 



As stated above, the cheaper forms of vinegar, especially distilled 

 and wood vinegar, are commonly colored with caramel, which can be 

 detected by the method given on page 48. 





