18 year aged balsamic
balsamico Vinegar
is a traditional viscous flavoured vinegar commonly used
in Italian food preparation. It is often used as a salad
dressing when combined with vinegar or as a marinade. It
is a traditional food product originating in Modena, Italy,
where it has been Produced since the Middle Ages and the
name is protected by the Italian government. Unlike
table vinegars, it is dark and viscous with a complex,
sweet flavor and is much more pricey. True Aged balsamic
vinegar has been aged fifteen years and upwards.
The best balsamico vinegars
have no other ingredients added to them - only
the grapes. Lesser ones will include brown sugar or caramel
to feign the sweetness of the better ones. If a company
creates a "traditional" aged balsamic vinegar,
they will also develop a less expensive, but quality
vinegar as well.
View
our complimentary Balsamic vinaigrette Recipes.
Oil and vinegar Balsamic Salad dressings.
Balsamic vinegar is Made
by reduced white grapes (typically,
trebbiano grapes) that has been boiled down to approximately
50% ("must") and fermenting that into alcohol.
It is then once again fermented to balsamico vinegar,
with a slow aging process
done in oak casks that concentrates
the flavours. The flavor is magnified over years,
with the balsamic vinegar being kept in fine wood barrels, becoming
sweet, viscous and very concentrated in flavor. Some
aged balsamic vinegar is added to the "must"
to produce a more complex and intricate taste, and to
add acidity.
The thick syrup is transferred
to oak casks to ferment in the open
air and then begins the long evaporation and aging process
that makes aged balsamic vinegar unique. Balsamic vinegar
does not go bad after opening as oxygen is part
of the aging process, you can treasure your best bottle
and use it on special entrees. Do
not heat or cook balsamic vinegar
as it will destroy the flavour.
As a key component
in vinaigrette dressings, balsamic goes
very well with olive oil. Olive oil-balsamic
vinaigrette is outstanding with scallops,
fresh spinach and asparagus. A balsamic dressing does well
with winter vegetables such as carrots, turnips, squash
and sweet potatoes, as well as new mixed greens or
baby spinach.
The Mediterranean diet,
characterized by cuisine such as Italian food, has been
gaining popularity in North America, where the consumption
of traditional Mediterranean foods, such as cold pressed
olive oil and balsamic vinegar, has been increasing.
Many people are finding this diet as a healthy alternative
to fatty foods and deep fried food preparation.
