aceto balsamico
balsamico Vinegar
is a authentic thick flavoured vinegar commonly used
in Tuscan cooking. It is sometimes used as a salad
dressing when combined with virgin olive oil or as a marinade. It
is a traditional import developed in Modena, Italy,
where it has been Produced since the Middle Ages and the
brand is protected by the Italian government. Unlike
table vinegars, it is dark and thick with a complex,
sweet taste and is much more costly. True Aged balsamic
vinegar has been aged fifteen years or more.
The finest aged balsamic vinegars
have nothing else added to them - only
the trebbiano grapes. Lesser common vinegars will include brown sugar or caramel
to mimic the sweetness of the authentic 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 vinaigrette Recipes.
Oil and vinegar Balsamic Salad 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 balsamico vinegar,
with a slow aging process
done in oak casks that concentrates
the flavours. The flavor is heightened over years,
with the balsamic vinegar being kept in fine wood barrels, becoming
sweet, viscous and very concentrated in flavour. Some
older balsamic vinegar is added to the "must"
to create 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 starts the long dehydration and aging process
that makes aged balsamico vinegar unusual. Balsamic vinegar
does not degenerate after opening as oxygen is part
of the aging process, you can treasure your best bottle
and use it on special recipes. Do
not heat or cook balsamic vinegar
as it will destroy the taste.
As a key ingredient
in vinaigrette dressings, balsamic blends
especially well with olive oil. Olive oil-balsamic
vinaigrette is outstanding with scallops,
spinach and asparagus. A balsamic dressing 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.
