Ättika

In Sweden we have something we call ättika. This is like a really strong vinegar that has a distinctive sour taste and pungent smell and is commonly used for pickling and baking. Unfortunately you cant just replace ättika with vinegar when it is required in cooking, I have tried, the result was not what I desired. As a swede living in NZ it is sometimes hard to even know what to look for as you don't always know how to translate things, but after doing some research I have found that what I'm looking for is called glacial acetic acid. So for all you swedes living abroad, glacial acetic acid is ättika and it is usually found at the chemist. Important to remember though is that the ättika we cook with in Sweden is usually 12% (ättiksprit) or 24% (pure ättika), the glacial acetic acid is 100% so it need to be diluted in water. I have now tried to pickle herring, made "mint kisses" and finally yesterday marinated some fresh cucumber for our roast pork. All of the above worked a treat and the "right" taste was achieved.