With vinegar being a common household staple, you might not have given it much thought during your experimental food prep sessions. If you love vinegar, these somewhat unusual suggestions will make you love vinegar even more. If you’re not a big fan, consider yourself a convert – you’re guaranteed to crave that asim-sarap-ngiti feeling after reading this!

Singkamas and Suha + Vinegar

Let’s start with a no-cook pairing: sawsawan for fruits! The sharpness of  vinegar gets absorbed by bland singkamas sticks, while hardcore asim lovers love the sour-on-sour flavor of vinegar and tart pomelos (if you’re not that hardcore, make sure your pomelo is on the sweeter side).

Baby Potatoes + Salt + Vinegar

Love the salt and vinegar chips flavor? Here’s a handy hack that makes use of fresh baby potatoes.

Fruit + Sugar + Vinegar

Ever heard of a beverage that includes vinegar? Shrubs are refreshing summer drinks that combines vinegar, fruit and sugar. The vinegar adds a refreshing dash of tartness that balances out the fruit’s and sugar’s sweetness. Add a dash of alcohol and you’ve got yourself a new cocktail favorite!

Chocolate Cake + Vinegar

Nope, throwing those two things together isn’t a typo. Known as Depression Chocolate Cake (due to its prevalence in the Great Depression), the outcome of this recipe is anything but depressing. Adding a dash of vinegar in a standard Chocolate Cake recipe helps the cake rise as it bakes, resulting in a perfectly moist Chocolate Cake. Who would’ve thought, right?

Asynpoeding (Vinegar Pudding)

By now, it won’t be hard for you to believe in THIS. Asynpoeding is a South African pudding recipe that includes apricots, ginger, nutmeg and of course, vinegar!

Most fruits and vegetables + Vinegar

If you’ve tried most of the items here and are now ready for the next step in vinegar-fruit/veggie combos, you are now ready to pickle ‘em. This isn’t really an unusual recipe, but it goes to show the transformative power of vinegar. Check this list to see which fruits and veggies are best for pickling.

Herbs + Vinegar

If you’re feeling a little fancy, try these infused vinegar recipes. From garlic to flowers, you can add almost any herb for an instant tita-worthy condiment. These make great gifts too!

Tomato Sauce + Vinegar

Did you know that vinegar extends the shelf life of tomato-based dishes? Think of your favorite spaghetti, caldereta and menudo sitting in your fridge for an extended period of time without spoiling. Don’t believe us? Check out this legit Beef Kaldereta recipe that includes ¼ cup of vinegar!

Excited to try these combos? Get more Asim-Sarap-Ngiti ideas and Datu PuTips  on Datu Puti’s Facebook page!