WEBVTT
Kind: captions
Language: en

1
00:00:00.070 --> 00:00:02.469
This is non-brewed condiment.

2
00:00:02.469 --> 00:00:05.650
It's water, ethanoic acid, plus a few colourings
and flavourings.

3
00:00:05.650 --> 00:00:08.330
And in almost the all the chip shops
up and down Britain,

4
00:00:08.330 --> 00:00:10.830
this is the "vinegar" you'll get on the counter.

5
00:00:10.830 --> 00:00:13.419
And in the modern world, it has some advantages.

6
00:00:13.419 --> 00:00:15.530
It can be made from a concentrate,

7
00:00:15.530 --> 00:00:17.760
which is fine provided the owner of the chip shop

8
00:00:17.760 --> 00:00:20.210
actually remembers to dilute it.

9
00:00:20.210 --> 00:00:21.710
That went wrong a couple of times.

10
00:00:21.710 --> 00:00:25.860
It's also halal, because there isn't
the tiny amount of alcohol in it

11
00:00:25.860 --> 00:00:28.280
that brewing regular vinegar causes.

12
00:00:28.300 --> 00:00:30.240
And some brands of it are actually gluten-free,

13
00:00:30.240 --> 00:00:32.899
which regular malt vinegar
most definitely isn't.

14
00:00:32.899 --> 00:00:37.070
I've seen this sold at a premium
as "gluten-free vinegar".

15
00:00:37.070 --> 00:00:40.160
But none of those are the reason that it's
caught on.

16
00:00:40.160 --> 00:00:42.210
There are claims that it started in
the temperance movement,

17
00:00:42.210 --> 00:00:45.730
the people who were against alcohol in the
late 19th and early 20th centuries,

18
00:00:45.730 --> 00:00:47.409
but I can't find a reliable source for that

19
00:00:47.409 --> 00:00:48.739
-- ha, "sauce" --

20
00:00:48.739 --> 00:00:52.719
I can't find a reliable authority for that.

21
00:00:52.719 --> 00:00:55.059
The reason is,
chucking some chemicals together

22
00:00:55.059 --> 00:00:58.910
is significantly cheaper than
actually brewing vinegar.

23
00:00:58.910 --> 00:01:00.320
This stuff has been around for a long time,

24
00:01:00.320 --> 00:01:05.229
there's a reference to it in a 100-year-old
report from Her Majesty's Inspector of Foods.

25
00:01:05.229 --> 00:01:08.220
Now legally, it can't be described as vinegar.

26
00:01:08.220 --> 00:01:11.250
Trading Standards, the local government agencies
that enforce food laws,

27
00:01:11.250 --> 00:01:12.280
are really clear on that.

28
00:01:12.280 --> 00:01:16.670
It cannot be put in the traditional little
bottles that people associate with vinegar.

29
00:01:16.670 --> 00:01:20.329
Except: every chip shop, up and down the country,
doesn't care.

30
00:01:20.329 --> 00:01:21.630
And Trading Standards...

31
00:01:21.630 --> 00:01:23.119
they could go into every chip shop in the
country

32
00:01:23.119 --> 00:01:26.610
and get an easy prosecution -- but they don't.

33
00:01:26.610 --> 00:01:28.100
They've got better things to do,

34
00:01:28.100 --> 00:01:32.409
like tracking down food that will actually
injure or harm you,

35
00:01:32.409 --> 00:01:35.560
and it's not like they'd see any of the money
from fines anyway, that's not how it works.

36
00:01:35.560 --> 00:01:39.259
And most people don't know this isn't vinegar.

37
00:01:39.259 --> 00:01:42.390
And those of us who do know...
actually don't care.

38
00:01:42.390 --> 00:01:44.110
It's not like margarine and butter,

39
00:01:44.110 --> 00:01:48.060
where the chemical make-up and health effects
are actually different,

40
00:01:48.060 --> 00:01:52.579
it's just a slightly different taste and a
slightly different make up.

41
00:01:52.579 --> 00:01:56.909
But no one cares. No one minds.
Up and down the country,

42
00:01:56.909 --> 00:01:59.740
everyone agrees: it's fine.
This is vinegar.

43
00:01:59.740 --> 00:02:03.260
So here's my question: does it matter?

44
00:02:03.980 --> 00:02:05.980
[Translating these subtitles? Add your name here!]