British Expatriate Network

Thats the question. Its the Vinegar most Chippys use on there Fish and Chips in the UK. We made some Excellent fish and chips the other day. Thanks to that amazing man Mr. Mac Zippy!!! (his recipe) (how does he do it?) and we used malt vinegar and it just didn't taste the same?

So I wanna buy some Non-Brewed Condiment Vinegar which is also sold at chippys in the UK, but I can't find it in any store and no-ones ever even heard of it???

Anyone help?

Cheers
Neil

Well that has me confused then.

I used the normal, American vinegar on my chips for years and it was nasty and then one day I found this brand in Safeway called 'London Pub' malt vinegar and it was just like vinegar back home to me. I think it is made by World Finer Foods in New Jersey.

Didn't hear of the type of vinegar you described - is that not the same then?

Nope Malt Vinegar is not what Chippys use they almost always use Non-Brewed Condiment Vinegar which has a distinctivly differnt taste to Malt Vinegar.

Yep I have a bottle of London Pub Malt Vinegar too...Non-brewed is the best though..

Wow - guess my chippies were Americanised then or my taste is shot after all this time over here smile

Thanks for the info smile

Hi Neil,

I think you'll find the use of NBC is more popular up North (in the UK) than down South.

NBC is not techincally a "Vinegar", as a vinegar is made from from an acid liquid obtained from either fermentation of country liquor (apple/fruit juice) or wine, and must be equal too, but no less than 2% acidity to be technically called a vinegar.

NBC is a powder (i's actually acetic acid) and is reconstituted with water.

Some fish and chips shops (typically at the coast and own South) will give you lemon juice in deference to vinegar.

Just to clarify for those who didn't know what NBC is.

Andrew

You are a mine of information Maczippy - no wonder I never came across that before. Intrigued to try it now though. smile

NBC is a chemical comprising acetic acid, a carboxylic acid with the chemical formula CH3COOH (other names include ethanoic acid); acetic acid is essentially a methyl group (CH3) attached to a carboxylic acid group (COOH). NBC is a "synthetic", i.e. a manufactured chemical. NBC will dissolve in water because the alkyl chain is very short (comprising of just one carbon) and the carboxylic functional group is hydrophilic allowing hydrogen bonding between the carbonyl oxygen CO in the carboxylic group and a “water” (i.e. HOH (i.e. H2O) which comprise of two polar covalent bonds with one delta negative oxygen and two delta negative hydrogen atoms per water molecule). A water can hydrogen bond to two carbonyl oxygens depending on temperature.

The "brewed version" is naturally produced by (among others) a species of bacteria called Acetobacter.

This is the first time I have heard folks actually prefer a "synthetic chemical" over the natural chemical! But I suppose the brewed version is less pure in the sense that trace amounts of other molecules/chemicals will be carried over from the fermentation broth depending on the “exactness” of the downstream extraction process. smile



<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by UK_Meets_USA on 2002-06-23 1101 ]</font>

eek ???

The next installment of the Open University's "Advanced Chemistry" will be sometime in the wee small hours of Thursday morning.

lol lol

Debs x (AKA Clueless in Connecticut)

Well I never knew that! I hadn't heard of the non brewed variety. I'm from up North & though we used malt vinegar all the time. The local chippy along from my Mum always had a bottle of Sarson's vinegar on the counter. I thought that was malt.

Like pilgrim I buy "london pub" vinegar here & thought it was the same, I use it in mint sauce. I quite like the cider vinegar here too.
Janet

I buy "London Pub" vinegar too. Please excuse the chemical/biotech side of me! razz It's just that I live and breath applied science "all the days of my life". One of my hobbies is to read organic chemistry books, I kid you not! cool I want to register with a good university to do some "wet work" on weekends, just to keep a toe dipped in the water so to speak. But mum says I can't do that if I intend to remarry, that no woman today would put up with a hubby who is never "there". lol

Trouble yourself not with such trivial issues UKMUS.
Most women would probably not want to put up with a guy who, in his thirties is still living with mummy anyway ....

My mother is riddled with serious arthritis and I mean riddled with it. I worry about her a lot, because she can't carry shopping, manage too many stairs, and has asthma to boot. I pay for her to get the medications she needs, get the shopping in, carry her luggage and travel with her since she can’t manage the step onto a bus and needs help getting into some cars. I will make just about any sacrifice to make sure she never feels that she is not wanted or loved. I love her dearly and now that she is with medical problems I will not do the easy thing and get her put into a home. I at least have the guts to take on this responsibility and I do it gladly; I know from a social work professional sister that many old people become lonely. She is my mum who needs her son and I will not let her down in her time of need, I gladly make room for mum in my life, she means that much.

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by UK_Meets_USA on 2002-06-24 0138 ]</font>

Hey Everyone!

My mam sent me over a bottle of Non-Brewed Condiment Vinegar!

Everyone coming over to mine for some real Fish and Chips then?

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!!!!! grin

Get the deep fat fryer on....I'm on my way! lol lol

Debs x grin