The Three Wise Vinegars

Christmas time is typically associated to several spices such as cinnamon, anise and cloves. Several theories try to explain the origin of their association to this so special time of the year. From a technical perspective, the said spices are known to have warming effects when consumed, which is very convenient during Winter, the Christmas season in Europe. From a historic point of view, for a long period of time since the Nativity, spices were expensive ingredients. They were therefore reserved for the most important celebrations throughout the year, such as Christmas. The fact that deserts play a main role during this celebration could have favoured cinnamon, anise and cloves to become particularly popular.

The strategy to develop Christmas-specific vinegars seems to be particularly popular in the UK. Not surprisingly, some of these Christmas vinegar recipes are based on infusing some of the aforementioned spices into apple cider or wine vinegar, such as those proposed by Jo Webster [1] and The Slow Vinegar Company [2]. Some brands have adopted showy Christmas-tree-shaped bottles, such as Burren Balsamics [3] and The Mini Jar Company [4]. Interestingly enough, both of the latter infuse fruit (cranberries-orange and raspberry, respectively) rather than spices into balsamic-type vinegar.

Besides popular tradition about Christmas celebration, the importance of spices was already set a few days after the original Nativity: gold, frankincense and myrrh were the three gifts brought to Baby Jesus by the Three Wise Men. As pointed out by Pope Benedict XVI [5], these gifts respectively highlighted Jesus' royalty, Jesus as Son of God and Jesus Christ's passion. At ACETUM.EU we enjoy exploring the limits of the vinegar market, so we wondered whether we would be able to find vinegar recipes honouring those three gifts.

Like in other markets, association to gold is a common way for several vinegar brands to highlight quality. However we have only found Burren Balsamics to offer a vinegar containing real 23 carat edible gold leaves [6]. As clarified by Wikipedia [7], gold is a particularly non-reactive element and is not absorbed during the digestion process, so you can predict where the fashionable gold leaves will end eventually.

Frankincense has been found to be used as food condiment in some parts of the world such as Oman [9]. It is important not to get confused with black Chinese Zhenjiang vinegar, sometimes also called "incense vinegar". This rice vinegar, which is also available in pills as dietary supplement, does not include any type of incense among its ingredients. According to our research, the only frankincense vinegar available in Europe is not used for culinary applications, but for facial skincare. Offered by British brand Ballerina Botanicals [8], it is not produced by infusing frankincense into vinegar, but by adding frankincense essential oil to it. In this case the chosen base vinegar is apple cider, known for its cosmetic benefits.

Lastly we have myrrh, which features sweet and mild anise flavour [10]. Once again, the only vinegar we have been able to find with this ingredient also comes from UK. It is offered by online shop Shamtam, which is specialized in esoteric accessories rather than in food condiments. Despite only showing a picture of raw myrrh, this vinegar is specifically recommended by Shamtam for marinades, dressings, and sauces [11].

In spite of Epiphany being mostly celebrated in Spanish-speaking countries, The Three Wise Vinegars is currently an original Christmas gift comprising British culinary condiments and facial toner. Merry Christmas to all ACETUM.EU followers!

[1] Christmas vinegar, Jo Webster. Retrieved December 24th, 2023 from https://jo-webster.com/recipes/christmas-vinegar

[2] Sweet Winter Spice Wine Vinegar, The Slow Vinegar Company. Retrieved December 24th, 2023 from https://www.theslowvinegarcompany.co.uk/shop/p/sweet-winter-spice-wine-vinegar

[3] Burren Balsamics Christmas Balsamic, Burren Balsamics. Retrieved December 24th, 2023 from https://www.burrenbalsamics.com/products/burren-balsamics-christmas-balsamic

[4] Raspberry Infused Vinegar In A Decorative Christmas Tree Bottle, The Mini Jar Company. Retrieved December 24th, 2023 from https://hollyandtheivy.co.uk/index.php/product/raspberry-infused-vinegar-in-a-decorative-christmas-tree-bottle/

[5] Joseph Ratzinger. La Infancia de Jesús. 2012. Editorial Planeta Chilena.

[6] Gold Leaf White Balsamic Vinegar, Burren Balsamics. Retrieved December 24th, 2023 from https://www.burrenbalsamics.com/products/gold-leaf

[7] Edible gold. Wikipedia. Retrieved December 24th, 2023 from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edible_gold

[8] Tónico facial de lavanda e incienso / Tónico de vinagre de sidra de manzana para tipos de piel combinados y piel joven / 4 oz, Tónico orgánico. Ballerina Botanicals Organic Skincare. Retrieved December 24th, 2023 from https://www.ballerinabotanicals.com/listing/268935523/anti-aging-facial-toner-apple-cider

[9] Serving Arabian dishes with frankincense to global foodies, Oman Oberver. August 31st, 2022. https://www.omanobserver.om/article/1124495/features/food/serving-arabian-dishes-with-frankincense-to-global-foodies

[10] Myrrh, recipetips.com. Retrieved December 24th, 2023 from https://www.recipetips.com/glossary-term/t--33534/myrrh.asp

[11] Vinegar Myrrh, Shamtam. Retrieved December 24th, 2023 from https://shamtam.com/products/vinegar-myrrh