🥃 Verjuice

Verjuice is the sour juice of unripe grapes. It is used in cooking in place of vinegar or lemon juice. The name comes from French: "verjus" means "green juice".

Verjuice is made from green berries that have not had time to ripen. They are crushed and the juice pressed out. It is very sour, hardly sweet, and has a fresh fruity taste. It is often obtained from bunches cut in summer so the crop is smaller and the remaining grapes ripen better. This way the surplus bunches are not wasted.

Verjuice was popular in medieval Europe. In France it is still made, and in Italy it is known as "agresto". It is added to sauces, salads, marinades and fish dishes. It is milder than vinegar and does not overpower the flavour of a dish. Verjuice belongs among grape products and resembles grape juice and wine vinegar but is neither. It contains no alcohol because it does not ferment. Keep it in the fridge.