Pedro Ximenez balsamic
aged balsamic Vinegar
is a traditional heavy flavoured vinegar usually used
in Italian cooking. It is often used as a salad
dressing when combined with vinegar or as a marinade. It
is a traditional import that was developed in Modena, Italy,
where it has been Produced since the Middle Ages and the
brand is protected by the Italian government. Unlike
common vinegars, it is dark and heavy with a complex,
sweet taste and is much more expensive. True Balsamic
vinegar has been aged 15 years or more.
The finest balsamico vinegars
have no other ingredients added to them - only
the grapes. Lesser vinegars will include brown sugar or caramel
to simulate the sweetness of the true balsamico. If a company
produces a "traditional" balsamico vinegar,
they will also make a less expensive, but high quality
vinegar as well.
View
our free Balsamic vinaigrette Recipes.
Oil and vinegar Balsamic Dressings.
Balsamic vinegar is Produced
by concentrated 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 wood casks that concentrates
the flavours. The flavour is magnified over years,
with the aged balsamic vinegar being kept in fine oak barrels, becoming
sweet, viscous and very concentrated in flavor. Some
aged balsamic vinegar is added to the "must"
to make 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 unique. Balsamic vinegar
does not go bad after opening as oxygen is part
of the aging process, you can appreciate your finest bottle
and use it on special recipes. Do
not heat or cook balsamic vinegar
as it will destroy the flavor.
As a key component
in vinaigrette dressings, balsamic pairs
particularly well with olive oil. Olive oil-balsamic
vinaigrette is wonderful with lobster,
fresh spinach and asparagus. A balsamic dressing does well
with winter vegetables such as carrots, turnips, squash
and sweet potatoes, as well as fresh 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.
