Small brown-glazed vinegar pot 8"

A charming terracotta pot with chocolate brown glaze from the mid-twentieth century. Originally for making vinegar (note the hole on the side where a spigot would have originally been fitted for pouring vinegar. The size reference "10h" is impressed on the top. In traditional French homes, making vinegar was a simple yet cherished process passed down through generations. To begin, families would repurpose leftover wine, pouring it into a ceramic or glass pot with a wide mouth. They would then introduce a "mother of vinegar," a gelatinous layer of acetic acid bacteria, which could be sourced from a friend or purchased. The pot, covered with a piece of cheesecloth secured by a rubber band, was placed in a warm, dark place, such as a cupboard. Over several weeks, the wine would slowly transform into vinegar, guided by the mother, which converted the alcohol into acetic acid.