National Apple Cider Vinegar Day Date in the current year: September 23, 2024

Vinegar is an aqueous solution of acetic acid; it is an essential and versatile product that is used in cooking and preserving, as an ingredient in DIY cosmetics, and as a household cleaner. There are many types of vinegar depending on the source of acetic acid. Apple cider vinegar, just like its name suggests, is produced from fermented apple juice.

Apple cider vinegar is one of the most common types of fruit vinegar. Its production process consists of two steps. During the first step, bacteria and yeast are added to freshly squeezed apple juice to kick off alcoholic fermentation, which converts sugar into alcohol and carbon dioxide.

Once the juice turns into hard cider, acetic acid bacteria are added to the mix. They convert ethanol to acetic acid, transforming the hard cider into vinegar that contains about 5% acetic acid by volume. Apple cider vinegar is usually sold distilled and pasteurized, although unfiltered and unpasteurized versions of the product are also available.

Apple cider vinegar is a popular cooking ingredient in many cuisines. It is used in chutneys, marinades, preserves, salad dressings, and vinaigrettes. Apple cider vinegar has also been used in traditional medicine for centuries and is advertised as a dietary supplement for weight loss, digestion, and overall health, but there is no hard evidence to support its claimed health benefits.

Other uses of apple cider vinegar include as an ingredient in DIY personal care products (mouthwashes, hair rinses, facial toners) and as a household cleaner. When using vinegar as a cleaning agent, it is important to keep in mind that it shouldn’t be mixed with chlorine bleach in order to prevent the release of irritating chlorine gas, as well as with baking soda because they will neutralize each other.

National Apple Cider Vinegar Day was created in 2021 by Bragg Live Foods, a US-based health food company that produces apple cider vinegar from organically grown apples, as well as an impressive range of products based on apple cider vinegar or containing it.

You can celebrate National Apple Cider Vinegar Day by sharing your favorite recipes and life hacks with apple cider vinegar, learning to cook new dishes with this ingredient, experimenting with DIY skin or hair care recipes with apple cider vinegar, and spreading the word about the holiday on social media using the hashtags #NationalAppleCiderVinegarDay and #AppleCiderVinegarDay.

National Apple Cider Vinegar Day should not be confused with National Vinegar Day, observed annually on November 1. The latter celebrates all varieties of vinegar, including fruit vinegar (blackcurrant, goji, jujube, kiwifruit, persimmon, raspberry, quince), coconut and other types of palm vinegar, balsamic vinegar, cane vinegar, rice vinegar, spirit vinegar, etc.