作为一名厨师，贾斯汀·迪恩（Justin Dean）对醋可以带到沙拉酱或调味料等菜肴中并不陌生。但是尽管他对这种成分很熟悉，但这位50岁的年轻人从来没有想过他会从剩菜或无法使用的葡萄酒，薄荷，柿子，罗勒甚至啤酒中制作自己的工艺醋。
迪恩说：“我只是出于对成分的爱和尊重而做到的，这只是变成了我不认为会变成的业务。”在将其分发给当地厨师之前。“他们就像'神圣的S ---。这根本不是醋，就像我以前从未品尝过的那样。'当灯光熄灭时，我想，“这里可能有东西。”“
如今，作为Madhouse醋公司的共同所有者，Dean和商业伙伴Richard Stewart每年从距辛辛那提15英里的300英亩农场中搅动数百辆醋，通过使用否则会浪费的投入。制作醋的缓慢过程，可能需要几个月的时间到一年，它使最终产品具有更丰富的味道，这种风味不会以鲜明的酸性味道压倒食谱，通常会随着更多主流而发生的味道他说，品种。
When area demand for sweet corn faded last summer, a local farmer gave Dean some of the crop it had picked from the field just two hours before. After a forklift broke two bottles of wine from North Carolina and stained the entire pallet, Dean trucked in the Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Riesling and Chardonnay that was deemed unusable for restaurants or retail. Even broken candy canes were turned into peppermint vinegar, though Dean said it hasn't sold well.
他说：“我有25磅的糖果手杖，我不知道该怎么办。”“我只是想我会变成醋，看看发生了什么。”
Increasingly, small operations like MadHouse, Acid League and Lindera Farms are among the companies breathing new life into vinegar. The global vinegar market is forecast to rise to $2.62 billion by 2027 from $2.27 billion a year ago as custom blends provide further momentum to the category,根据IMARC组的数据。
“他们就像'神圣的S ***。这根本不是醋，就像我以前没有品尝过的那样。那是当灯光熄灭时，我就像在这里，'可能有些东西。'“
贾斯汀·迪恩（Justin Dean）
Co-owner, The MadHouse Vinegar Co.
尽管有新发现的知名度，但通过发酵酒精而创造的醋仍可以追溯到数千年。巴比伦卷轴记录the use of the liquid around 5000 B.C., and traces of it were found in Egyptian urns 2,000 years later. Known as “poor man’s wine,” the bible saysJesus was offered vinegar at the Crucifixion。
Today, vinegar is benefiting from a surge in ready-to-eat food offerings, with the ingredient playing a prominent role in curtailing the growth of bacteria and preventing spoilage, in addition to its use as a flavoring. Stryve Foods, a maker of air-dried meat products known as biltong,gives its slabs a vinegar baththat acts as a natural preservative while also adding bold and intense flavor.
特种成分制造商Kemin Industries已转向醋，因为它优先考虑自然防腐剂，而消费者将其推向更健康的饮食和优质品牌。公司Kemin Food Technologies部门营销总监Courtney Schwartz，在十月的一次采访中说that the company not only looks to vinegar to maintain freshness but also as an option to preserve color and flavor.
醋有时还代替盐来提供风味，随着消费者寻找新的品味和品种，它蓬勃发展。与其他成分类似，大流行期间，更多的人在家做饭，并寻求实验，醋一直是他们在厨房中转向的一种选择。
For years, vinegar has been associated with the large jugs of在杂货店货架上发现了白色蒸馏和苹果酒品种。但现在，根据椰子，甘蔗，柠檬和无花果已成为市场上其他一些更常见的醋的口味。IMARC。
休斯顿公共卫生学院德克萨斯大学健康科学中心助理教授韦斯利·麦克沃尔特（Wesley McWhorter）教授烹饪课，他鼓励使用醋增加风味。
“A decade ago, it really was like you had to search far and wide for anything beyond red wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar, or any of the apple cider classical ones," said McWhorter, who also has a background as a chef. "It's been present but always kind of in the background really.
Susan Pritchett, brand director at vinegar maker Mizkan America, said offerings focused on food such as wine vinegar, rice vinegar, and balsamic vinegar are among those varieties growing the fastest in popularity.
根据Nielseniq的数据，在美国，2021年的醋销售额增长了4.6％，达到6.54亿美元，而2018年为6.25亿美元。然而，销售量从2020年的7.22亿美元急剧下降，当时Covid-19关闭了餐馆和其他场所，而消费者在当年在家中花费了大部分时间在家做饭。
普里切特说，尽管醋的消耗量长期增加，但由于购物者对酸的制造方式以及其对菜肴的风味影响的“缺乏了解”，该细分市场的增长仍在阻碍。目前，她估计醋的家庭渗透率为10％。
“As stewards of the category, it's not only an opportunity but a responsibility to educate and increase that understanding," she said. "Sales are increasing, household penetration is increasing, all these metrics are on the up, but my point is that there's still a lot of room. I only have to look at the category to know it's not where it could be."
In an effort to increase sales at Mizkan America, the company is turning to social media and other influencers to educate consumers about vinegar and how to use it. Newer innovations lean into consumer demand for different flavor options, such as itsMizkan甜辣椒和烤芝麻品种，并通过其有机荷兰房屋有机葡萄酒醋。
“There's a health halo around it. People are drinking vinegar. People are putting it on their smoothies," Pritchett added. "The markets and the trends support more premium products, so it's up to us to figure out what those opportunities are."
