aceto balsamico tradizionale
aged balsamic Vinegar
is a authentic heavy flavoured vinegar commonly used
in Tuscan cooking. It is typically used as a salad
vinaigrette when combined with vinegar or as a marinade. It
is a traditional import developed in Modena, Italy,
where it has been Created since the Middle Ages and the
name is protected by the Italian government. Unlike
table vinegars, it is very dark and viscous with a complex,
sweet flavor and is much more costly. True Balsamico
vinegar has been aged in casks fifteen years or more.
The finest balsamico vinegars
have nothing else added to them - only
the grapes. Lesser ones will include brown sugar or caramel
to mimic the sweetness of the true balsamico. If a company
produces a "traditional" aged balsamic vinegar,
they will also produce a less costly, but high quality
vinegar as well.
View
our complimentary Balsamic vinaigrette Recipes.
Oil and vinegar Balsamic Dressings.
Balsamic vinegar is Made
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 balsamic vinegar,
with a slow aging process
done in oak casks that concentrates
the flavours. The flavor is intensified over years,
with the balsamic vinegar being kept in fine oak barrels, becoming
sweet, viscous and very concentrated in flavor. Some
older balsamico 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 evaporation and aging process
that makes aged balsamic vinegar unique. 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 entrees. Do
not heat or cook balsamic vinegar
as it will destroy the taste.
As a key component
in vinaigrette dressings, balsamic pairs
particularly well with olive oil. Olive oil-balsamic
vinaigrette is great with lobster and scallops,
artichokes 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.
