aceto balsamico
balsamic Vinegar
is a authentic thick flavored vinegar typically used
in Italian recipes. It is sometimes used as a salad
dressing when combined with vinegar or as a marinade. It
is a traditional food product that was developed in Modena, Italy,
where it has been Created since the Middle Ages and the
name is protected by the Italian government. Unlike
most common vinegars, it is very dark and heavy with a complex,
sweet taste and is much more pricey. True Aged balsamic
vinegar has been aged in casks fifteen years and upwards.
The best balsamic vinegars
have no other ingredients added to them - only
the grapes. Lesser vinegars will add brown sugar or caramel
to imitate the sweetness of the better ones. If a company
produces a "traditional" aged balsamic vinegar,
they will also develop a less costly, but quality
vinegar as well.
View
our free Gourmet Balsamic Recipes.
Oil and vinegar Balsamic Dressings.
Balsamic vinegar is Made
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 procedure
done in wood casks that concentrates
the flavors. The flavor is intensified over years,
with the aged 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 make a more complex and intricate taste, and to
add acidity.
The syrup is transferred
to oak casks to ferment in the open
air and then begins the long dehydration and aging process
that makes aged balsamic vinegar striking and unique. Balsamic vinegar
does not degenerate after opening as oxygen is part
of the aging process, you can appreciate your best bottle
and use it on special recipes. Do
not heat or cook balsamic vinegar
as it will ruin the flavour.
As a key component
in vinaigrette dressings, balsamic pairs
particularly well with olive oil. Olive oil-balsamic
vinaigrette is great with seafood,
fresh spinach and asparagus. A balsamic salad 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.
