colloquially refers to potable liquids containing quantities of ethyl alcohol (C2H5OH), and is the sense used here. Technically, alcohol denotes a class of organic compounds distinguished by the presence of a hydroxyl group (an oxygen atom combined with a hydrogen atom, linked to a carbon atom). Minute quantities of some of these are responsible for complex flavours in items as diverse as fruit and Scotch whisky.
Apart from its use as a drink, to which many volumes have been devoted, alcohol has a role as an ingredient in cookery. Many examples of the use of locally popular alcoholic drinks in the foods of different areas exist, from beer in Belgium to saké in the Orient. Grape-based alcohols—wine, champagne, port, sherry, Marsala, brandy, and other spirits distilled from grapes—have a global importance. The wide distribution of viticulture, the extensive trade in wines, their distinctive flavours, and the influence of French kitchen practice have all contributed to this. However, dietary laws forbid Muslims to use alcohol in any form, including as an ingredient.
Use of alcohol in food can be divided very roughly into two categories: cooked or uncooked. Lower-proof alcohols such as wines, ciders, and beers are almost always cooked; those of higher alcohol content (such as sweetened, flavoured liqueurs) are more likely to be used with no further cooking. There are exceptions, such as champagne (with a relatively low alcohol content) which is poured over peaches or berries; and the vermouths and anise-flavoured spirits of Mediterranean countries (high proof), used principally as flavourings in fish cookery.
In cooked dishes, the addition of wine, beer, cider, or other alcohol is usually made before cooking (even some time before, as in a marinade). It has a noticeable effect on taste, even if used in relatively small quantities. The drinks themselves have distinctive flavours, which become more concentrated during cooking, as a proportion of the liquid in a dish inevitably evaporates. Alcohol also combines with acids and oxygen to give (respectively) esters and aldehydes, groups of aromatic compounds, which no doubt contribute to the result.
It is sometimes debated whether any alcohol will remain in a stew after cooking. The answer is ‘almost certainly not’. The theory of stews demands that they should be cooked at temperatures high enough to coagulate the proteins in the meat (over 60 °C), but not as high as the boiling point of water (100 °C). The practice of most cooks is to let a stew perceptibly ‘simmer’, at a temperature somewhere around 95 °C (203 °F). Ethyl alcohol vaporizes at 78 °C (172 °F). So any alcohol in the cooking liquid of a conventionally prepared stew will be evaporated (‘boiled off’). An alcoholic drink used to flame food will inevitably lose its alcohol in the heat of the process. Likewise, when rice wine is added to stir-fried dishes in Chinese cuisine, the fierce heat of the wok will be enough to evaporate the alcohol content.
Fortified wines and spirits have several uses in cookery. The high alcohol content is often exploited by flaming, or they can be used in sauces, as drinks of lower proof are.
They are also used as ingredients in sweet dishes, an extensive and important role shared with liqueurs, cordials, and eaux-de-vie. Uncooked, they add potent flavours. Thus a little Madeira may be added to consommé immediately before serving. Sherry, brandy, and Marsala add flavour and an alcoholic kick to creamy puddings such as trifle, syllabub, cranachan, brose, tiramisu, zabaglione, and egg nog. These dishes, many deriving from recipes such as the possets of 16th-century England, have a long history as restoratives. Some are served warm, perhaps speeding absorption of alcohol and enhancing the ‘pick-me-up’ effect (alcohol provides a source of quickly available energy because it is absorbed into the blood stream without prior digestion). Higher-proof alcohols are extensively used in confectionery, combined with chocolate in puddings and sweets, in icings, cakes, sweet sauces, and used to enhance raw or cooked fruit-based desserts.
Finally, alcohol contributes to the preservation of food. Wine marinades help meat, fish, and game keep a short time in hot weather. In combination with sugar syrup, wine makes elegant and attractive fruit conserves.
Laura Mason has written about several aspects of British food in books including Sugar Plums and Sherbet (1998), Farmhouse Cookery (2005), and Traditional Foods of Britain (1999), which she co-authored with Catherine Brown.
