The finest
balsamic vinegars have nothing else added to them
- only the grapes. Lesser vinegars have added brown
sugar or caramel to mimic the sweetness of the better
ones.
Balsamic
vinegar is produced by concentrated white grapes
(typically, white grapes) that has been boiled down
to approximately 50% ("must") and fermenting
that into alcohol. It is then once again fermented to
balsamic vinegar, with a
slow aging process done in oak barrels
that concentrates the flavors. The flavour is intensified
over years, with the vinegar being stored in fine oak
barrels, becoming sweet, thick and very concentrated
in flavor. Some older balsamic vinegar is added to the
"must" to create a more complex and intricate
taste, and to add acidity.
The thick syrup is transferred
to oak barrels to ferment in the open
air and then starts the long evaporation and aging procedure
that makes aged balsamic
vinegar unequaled. Balsamic vinegar does not degenerate
after opening as oxygen is part of the aging process,
you can cherish your finest bottle
and use it on special occasions. Don't
heat or cook balsamic vinegar
as it will ruin the flavor.
As a fundamental ingredient
in vinaigrette dressing, balsamic blends
particularly well with quality olive oil. Olive oil-balsamic
vinaigrette is great with lobster and scallops, artichokes
and asparagus. A balsamic
dressing does well with winter vegetables such as
turnips, squash and sweet potatoes, as well as spring
mixed greens and/or baby spinach.
The Mediterranean diet,
characterized by cooking such as Tuscany food, has been
gaining popularity in the US, where the eating of authentic
Mediterranean foods, such as cold processed olive
oil and aged balsamic vinegar, has been on the up swing.
Many people find this diet as a healthy alternative
to fatty foods and deep fried food cooking.
Additional balsamic
resources.
