In Italian, whenever you see “un cucchiaio di aceto dolce” (1 teaspoon of aceto dolce), what is meant is “sweet vinegar.” This can be a fruit vinegar — say, Raspberry Vinegar — or even Balsamic Vinegar. Italians would regard the Japanese wine vinegar, “Mirin”, as “aceto dolce.” Otherwise Aceto Dolce refers to a pickled mixture…
Sweet-and-Sour
Acetomel
Acetomel is a sweet and sour syrup made from vinegar and honey and is used to preserve fruit. Fruit such as apples, grapes, pears and quinces used to be preserved this way. The combination of flavours reflects older tastes surviving from the Middle Ages. The syrup can be used to make “Aceto Dolce” pickles. Language…
Agrodolce
“Agrodolce” means literally “sour and sweet” in Italian. In Italian cooking, the term refers to a sauce, usually based on vinegar and sugar, with wine added, and often onions. It can be very chunky and so full of ingredients it almost appears to be a relish; or it can be a thin sauce. In fact,…
Sauce Bigarade
Sauce Bigarade is a classic French sauce which features the flavour of bitter orange. It is one of the few French sauces which can be classed as sweet and sour. The sharpness of the bitter orange cuts through both the sweetness of the sauce, and any fatty taste of the meat (typically duck) it is…
Sweet-and-Sour
Chinese Sweet-and-Sour Sauce © Denzil Green Sweet-and-Sour is a term used to describe a dish whose taste contains elements of both a sweet taste and a sour taste. Usually the balancing is done with an added sauce. The sweet can come from something such as sugar, syrup or fruit. The sour can come from something…