People across the UK are questioning why it has taken them so long to discover their local fish and chip shop uses a malt vinegar substitute on their chips
Chip shop regulars have been left scratching their heads after a revelation that their beloved chippy might be dousing their chips with something other than the classic vinegar.
YouTube sensation Tom Scott has spilled the beans on the condiment caper, revealing that what’s being splashed over those golden fries is often a ‘non-brewed condiment’ rather than traditional vinegar.
This substitute, as detailed by various sources, is concocted from water, acetic acid and added flavourings. In his eye-opening video, ‘The Fake Vinegar in British Fish and Chip Shops,’ Tom pulls back the curtain on this culinary masquerade, insisting that chip shops should not pass off the faux vinegar as the genuine article.
He asserts: “Most people don’t know that this isn’t vinegar. Legally, it can’t be described as vinegar. Trading standards are really clear on that. It cannot be put in the little bottles that people traditionally associate with vinegar.”
Despite the two liquids being virtually twins in appearance and only subtly distinct in taste – so much so that you’d likely not spot the difference – WalesOnline reports that many chip shop owners make the switch to the cheaper alternative over the real McCoy.
The product can be purchased from online retailers such as Amazon, which currently offers the item for less than £10. Typically, a non-brewed condiment is quicker to produce than the genuine article and can be bought in a concentrated form.
The revelation has left some people quite perturbed. One individual remarked: “Does it matter”? Yes, it does. My whole life I have wondered why I could never replicate the taste of chip shop vinegar at home. Now I know the truth.”
Another person chimed in: “I always wondered why I couldn’t get the same vinegar taste on my chips at home. Now I know and all this has done is pushed me into finding somewhere that sells ‘non brewed condiment.” A third person added: “Always wondered why I could never find vinegar that tasted like chip shop vinegar and now I know, it’s because it isn’t vinegar I’m after. Thank you dude!”