---
title: "Ättika: what it means in cooking — Tiny Plates"
description: "Ättika is Swedish 12 percent vinegar, more than twice as strong as US white vinegar. How to use it in pickles and herring, and how to swap it abroad."
url: "https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/attika"
---

# Ättika

Ättika is Swedish 12 percent vinegar, more than twice as strong as US white vinegar. How to use it in pickles and herring, and how to swap it abroad.

Also called Attika, Ättika 12%, Swedish vinegar.

_Ättika_ is a clear Swedish vinegar. It is acetic acid diluted with water, and the acid is often made synthetically, unlike _vinäger_, which is fermented. The standard kind is 12 percent acetic acid, which is more than twice as strong as the white vinegar sold in the US and UK, usually 5 percent. It tastes of pure sharp acid with no fruit or wine flavor. Swedes use it mainly for pickling.

Do not confuse it with _ättiksprit_, which is 24 percent acid, twice as strong as ättika. All the amounts on this page are for 12 percent ättika. If you only have ättiksprit, use half as much and handle it with care.

## How to use it

Ättika is always diluted. The classic Swedish pickling liquid is called _1-2-3-lag_:

* 1 [deciliter](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/deciliter) (100 ml) ättika 12%
* 2 dl (200 ml) sugar
* 3 dl (300 ml) water

Bring it to a boil until the sugar dissolves, then cool. It is used for pickled herring, pickled red onion, beets (beetroot in the UK) and quick cucumber [pickles](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/pickle) (_pressgurka_). For cucumbers, many recipes add dill or [krondill](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/krondill), allspice and bay leaf.

## Substitutes

Use distilled white vinegar and adjust for the strength. Because 5 percent vinegar is about 2.4 times weaker, replace each 1 dl of ättika with about 240 ml (1 cup) of 5 percent vinegar, and use 140 ml less water.

For the 1-2-3 brine above, that gives:

| Swedish recipe    | With 5% vinegar                           |
| ----------------- | ----------------------------------------- |
| 100 ml ättika 12% | 240 ml (1 cup) white vinegar              |
| 200 ml sugar      | 200 ml (about ¾ cup + 1 tablespoon) sugar |
| 300 ml water      | 160 ml (⅔ cup) water                      |

Do not swap in cider, wine or rice vinegar unless you are happy with a different taste. They are also around 5 percent.

## How to store it

Keep the bottle closed in a cupboard. It keeps indefinitely. Store it out of reach of children.

## Common mistakes

* **Using it straight.** At 12 percent it is far too sour and can irritate skin and mouth. Always dilute.
* **Mixing up ättika and _ättiksprit_.** Ättiksprit is 24 percent, twice as strong again. Using it in a recipe written for ättika makes the brine far too sour. Use half as much, and handle it with care.
* **Using 5 percent vinegar one for one.** The pickles turn out weak and less safe to keep, because they are not acidic enough.

## In recipes

Pickled herring, a centerpiece of the Swedish [smörgåsbord](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/smorgasbord), uses ättika in nearly every recipe. When a Swedish recipe says _vinäger_, it means a milder vinegar, such as wine vinegar, not ättika.

## Related terms

* [PickleTo pickle is to preserve food in an acidic liquid, either vinegar or a salty brine that ferments. Quick fridge pickles are ready in an hour or less.](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/pickle)
* [DeciliterA deciliter (dl) is exactly 100 ml, the main volume unit in Swedish and Nordic recipes. See how it compares to cups and what 1 dl weighs.](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/deciliter)
* [AcidAcid is the sour taste from lemon, vinegar, wine, tomatoes and yogurt. A splash at the end brightens a flat dish and balances salt, fat and sweetness.](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/acid)
* [KrondillKrondill is dill gone to flower, with yellow seed crowns and tough stalks. It flavors Swedish crayfish and pickles. What to use instead abroad.](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/krondill)
* [SmörgåsbordA smörgåsbord is a Swedish buffet of herring, cured salmon, meatballs, cold cuts, salads and warm dishes, eaten in set rounds. See the order to eat it in.](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/smorgasbord)

[More in nordic ingredients](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/category/nordic-ingredients)[Every term from A to Z](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary)