Vinegar, Vincotto, and Verjus: Part Three, Verjus

About author / Victoria Wesseler

Healthy eating advocate; master gardener; local food expert. Even veggie haters love her recipes.

Verjus, sometimes called verjuice, has been around since medieval times. The word means “green juice.” It is the unfermented juice of semi-ripe grapes. Some say verjus got its start when vineyard owners gave peasant workers the rights to harvest the second growth of the grapes which were generally harvested before maturity. Others say that the vineyard owners gave the workers semi-ripe grapes which were thinned from the vines to allow the remaining grapes to grow larger. The peasants used the grapes to make a fresh, tart liquid which was used for cooking and sometimes as a drink. But once citrus fruits, such as lemons, were introduced into European cooking, verjus lost its popularity.

In 1856, Jean Naigeon of Dijon used verjus from Burgundy grapes instead of vinegar in his mustard recipe and created what we now know as Dijon mustard. The verjus, which lacks vinegar’s acetic acid, gave the mustard less of a bite and a true culinary mainstay was born. However, today many varieties of Dijon substitute white vinegar, wine or grape juice for the traditional verjus.

Verjus is enjoying a rebirth in the kitchen and can be used in a number of ways. Try:

• Using it in place of lemon juice or your usual vinegar to dress a salad. Its slightly floral scent and fruity taste combines best with nut oils such as walnut and pumpkin seed rather than olive oil.

• Tossing warm, roasted, and sliced peeled beets with it for a quick pickled beet side dish.

• Substituting it for lemon juice in your favorite marinades.

• Adding a tablespoon or two to poaching liquid for fish instead of lemon juice.

• Using it in a 50/50 ratio with hot water to reconstitute sun dried tomatoes.

• Splashing some over crushed ice and topping it with club soda or ginger ale for a refreshing summer drink.

• Making a dressing for sliced cucumbers and sweet onions by mixing equal parts of rice wine vinegar, verjus, and a bit of sugar.

• Substituting it for wine when pan deglazing sautéed scallops, pork, chicken, shrimp, and game birds such as quail or pheasant.

• Reducing a cup of it to half its volume and drizzling over a fruit salad made with ripe peach slices, strawberries, and pineapple.

Although it's a bit more difficult to find than vinegar and vincotto, tracking down a bottle of verjus is worth the effort. Its unique flavor and tartness are sure to bring a new dimension to some of your old favorite recipes. And just in time for the warmer weather, here’s a fun verjus cocktail recipe courtesy of Wolffer Estate Winery (www.wolffer.com).

Serves/Makes: 1

• 1 ounce Wolffer Verjus
• 1 ounce freshly squeezed lime juice
• 2 ounces tequila
• 1 splash sour mix
• 1 splash Cointreau liqueur