19 Awesome Benefits of Apple Cider Vinegar
The first vinegar is said to have been created on accident, after grape juice was left to sit out for too long. The juice first turned into wine and then into vinegar, and today the literal meaning of vinegar (in French) is actually “sour wine.” Vinegar has been valued since ancient times for its medicinal properties. Even Hippocrates is said to have used it as a wound treatment. There are many different types of vinegar, as it can be made from anything containing sugar (most commonly fruits, rice or wine, for example). Vinegar is formed when microorganisms, particularly yeasts, change the sugar into alcohol (a process known as alcoholic fermentation). Then “acetobacter” bacteria convert the alcohol into acid (a process known as acetic or acid fermentation). Apple cider vinegar, as you might suspect, is made using this two-part fermentation process with the juice of apples. The finished product, what you know as vinegar, is mostly made up of acetic acid, but it also contains a wealth of vitamins (including B vitamins), mineral salts and other beneficial compounds. High-quality brands will also contain “mother,” which looks like a murky film in the vinegar but is actually beneficial strands of enzymes and proteins.