Marinades

Marinades are acidic liquids, originally vinegar and now including such ingredients as wine, fruit juices, buttermilk, and yogurt, in which the cook immerses meat for hours to days before cooking. They have been used since Renaissance times, when their primary function was to slow spoilage and to provide flavor. Today, meats are marinated primarily to flavor them and to make them more moist and tender. Perhaps the most common marinated meat dish is a stew, for which the meat is immersed in a mixture of wine and herbs and then cooked in it.