Acids. While lemon juice is much used, vinegar is the staple form in which acid is most used in the home. Vinegar is formed by the fermentation of fruit juices to the acid stage. In this country it is largely made from the juice pressed from apples, cider. It can be prepared from any other sugar-containing fruit juice or by fermentation of wine by the acetic-acid forming bacteria that change 10. P. Kimball, Journal of the American Medical Association, No. 130, pp. 80-81, 1946. Testing Laboratory Workers to Determine Their Keenness of Taste • Necessary before they are allowed to serve on a panel to judge the flavor factor in palatability of foods alcohol to acetic acid. The acid in vinegar is largely acetic but small amounts of other fruit acids may be present. Vinegars on the retail market are 4, 4J, or 5 per cent acid strength. Four per cent is the required minimum strength. These figures represent the number of grams of acetic acid contained in 100 cubic centi¬ meters of vinegar. For pickling, a vinegar of at least 4 \ per cent acetic acid is necessary. In the trade, this is sometimes spoken of as "45 grain” vinegar. Tarragon vinegar used in salad dressing and acid sauces, such as tartar sauce, is vine¬ gar flavored with tarragon, an evergreen aromatic herb. Onion and garlic vinegars for use in salad dressing are prepared by soak¬ ing these bulbs, thinly sliced, in vinegar until the desired flavor has been obtained. Peppers. While pepper is listed as spice, its wide use and variety of forms make spe¬ cial consideration desirable. Both white and black peppers are the powdered dried fruits of Piper nigrum, a perennial vine, native to India, the Malay Peninsula, and near-by islands. The fruits are called peppercorns. Black pepper is made from the immature peppercorn. Either the mature or immature peppercorns from which the coatings have been removed are used in making white pepper. Black pepper is more pungent than white. The most pungent pepper flavor is obtained by grinding the pepper as used. Small pepper mills are available for use in grinding the peppercorn at the table. Red pepper is the powdered mature fruit of a species of Capsicum, which is not a true pepper plant but a native American species unknown in Europe until after Columbus discovered America. Cayenne pepper and chili pepper are made from varieties of Cap¬ sicum but only from the small-fruited ones. The best cayenne pepper comes from Africa. Paprika is sweet, red pepper made from a mild Capsicum. It is used for color as well as flavor. Paprika is a product of Spain and Hungary and comes to this country already ground. The large-fruited Spanish Capsicum from which paprika is made are called pimen¬ tos. Paprika is valuable not only for its con- dimental qualities, but when freshly ground may contain both vitamin A and vitamin C. Tabasco is made in America from a fiery, long-fruited pepper. It is sold as a sauce rather than as a powder.

AI-modernized reading of the original text

Acids. While lemon juice is much used, vinegar is the staple form in which acid is most used in the home. Vinegar is formed by the fermentation of fruit juices to the acid stage. In this country it is largely made from the juice pressed from apples, cider. It can be prepared from any other sugar-containing fruit juice or by fermentation of wine by the acetic-acid forming bacteria that change 10. P. Kimball, Journal of the American Medical Association, No. 130, pp. 80-81, 1946. Testing Laboratory Workers to Determine Their Keenness of Taste • Necessary before they are allowed to serve on a panel to judge the flavor factor in palatability of foods alcohol to acetic acid. The acid in vinegar is largely acetic but small amounts of other fruit acids may be present. Vinegars on the retail market are 4, 4J, or 5 per cent acid strength. Four per cent is the required minimum strength. These figures represent the number of grams of acetic acid contained in 100 cubic centimeters of vinegar. For pickling, a vinegar of at least 4 \ per cent acetic acid is necessary. In the trade, this is sometimes spoken of as "45 grain” vinegar. Tarragon vinegar used in salad dressing and acid sauces, such as tartar sauce, is vinegar flavored with tarragon, an evergreen aromatic herb. Onion and garlic vinegars for use in salad dressing are prepared by soak¬ ing these bulbs, thinly sliced, in vinegar until the desired flavor has been obtained. Peppers. While pepper is listed as spice, its wide use and variety of forms make spe¬ cial consideration desirable. Both white and black peppers are the powdered dried fruits of Piper nigrum, a perennial vine, native to India, the Malay Peninsula, and near-by islands. The fruits are called peppercorns. Black pepper is made from the immature peppercorn. Either the mature or immature peppercorns from which the coatings have been removed are used in making white pepper. Black pepper is more pungent than white. The most pungent pepper flavor is obtained by grinding the pepper as used. Small pepper mills are available for use in grinding the peppercorn at the table. Red pepper is the powdered mature fruit of a species of Capsicum, which is not a true pepper plant but a native American species unknown in Europe until after Columbus discovered America. Cayenne pepper and chili pepper are made from varieties of Capsicum but only from the small-fruited ones. The best cayenne pepper comes from Africa. Paprika is sweet, red pepper made from a mild Capsicum. It is used for color as well as flavor. Paprika is a product of Spain and Hungary and comes to this country already ground. The large-fruited Spanish Capsicum from which paprika is made are called pimen¬ tos. Paprika is valuable not only for its condimental qualities, but when freshly ground may contain both vitamin A and vitamin C. Tabasco is made in America from a fiery, long-fruited pepper. It is sold as a sauce rather than as a powder.

Foods, their selection and preparation