Spanish balsamic
balsamic Vinegar
is a authentic thick flavored vinegar ordinarily used
in Tuscan gourmet cooking. It is frequently used as a salad
dressing when combined with vinegar or as a marinade. It
is a traditional product originating in Modena, Italy,
where it has been Made since the Middle Ages and the
brand is protected by the Italian government. Unlike
common vinegars, it is very dark and heavy with a complex,
sweet flavor and is much more costly. True Balsamic
vinegar has been aged in casks fifteen years or more.
The best balsamic vinegars
have nothing else added to them - only
the trebbiano grapes. Lesser ones will add brown sugar or caramel
to feign the sweetness of the authentic balsamic vinegars. If a company
creates a "traditional" aged balsamic vinegar,
they will also create a less expensive, but high quality
vinegar as well.
View
our free Gourmet Balsamic Recipes.
Oil and vinegar Balsamic Dressings.
Balsamic vinegar is Produced
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 balsamic vinegar,
with a slow aging process
done in wood barrels that concentrates
the flavours. The flavour is intensified over years,
with the balsamic vinegar being kept in fine wood barrels, becoming
sweet, syrupy and very concentrated in flavor. Some
older 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 dehydration and aging process
that makes aged balsamico vinegar unusual. Balsamic vinegar
does not go bad after opening as oxygen is part
of the aging process, you can cherish your best bottle
and use it on special occasions. Do
not overheat or cook balsamic vinegar
as it will destroy the taste.
As a key ingredient
in vinaigrette dressings, balsamic blends
particularly well with olive oil. Olive oil-balsamic
vinaigrette is outstanding with seafood,
artichokes and asparagus. A balsamic vinaigrette does well
with winter vegetables such as carrots, turnips, squash
and sweet potatoes, as well as spring 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.
