The best balsamico vinegars have nothing else added to them - only the trebbiano grapes. Lesser ones will include brown sugar or caramel to model the sweetness of the balsamic vinegars. If a company produces a "traditional" balsamic vinegar, they will also produce a less expensive, but high quality vinegar as well.

View our complimentary Balsamic Recipes.
Oil and vinegar Balsamic Vinaigrettes.

Balsamic vinegar is Created by reduced white grapes (typically, trebbiano grapes) that has been boiled down to about 50% ("must") and fermenting that into alcohol. It is then once again fermented to balsamico vinegar, with a slow aging process done in oak barrels that concentrates the flavors. The flavor is deepened over years, with the vinegar being kept in fine oak barrels, becoming sweet, viscous 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 casks to ferment in the open air and then starts the long evaporation and aging process that makes aged balsamic vinegar striking and unique. Balsamic vinegar does not deteriorate after opening as oxygen is part of the aging process, you can appreciate your best bottle and use it on special recipes. Do not overheat or cook balsamic vinegar as it will ruin the taste.

As a key ingredient in vinaigrette dressings, balsamic pairs very well with olive oil. Olive oil-balsamic vinaigrette is outstanding with lobster, artichokes and asparagus. A balsamic salad 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.

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