aged balsamic vinegar
balsamico Vinegar
is a traditional viscous flavored vinegar ordinarily used
in Tuscan recipes. It is sometimes used as a salad
dressing when combined with olive oil or as a marinade. It
is a traditional import originating in Modena, Italy,
where it has been Made since the Middle Ages and the
name is protected by the Italian government. Unlike
common vinegars, it is dark and viscous with a complex,
sweet taste and is much more expensive. True Aged balsamic
vinegar has been aged in casks 15 years and upwards.
The finest balsamico vinegars
have nothing else added to them - only
the grapes. Lesser common vinegars will include brown sugar or caramel
to simulate the sweetness of the true balsamic vinegars. If a company
makes a "traditional" balsamico vinegar,
they will also create a less costly, but quality
vinegar as well.
View
our complimentary Balsamic vinaigrette Recipes.
Oil and vinegar Balsamic Dressings.
Balsamic vinegar is Created
by concentrated white grapes (typically,
trebbiano grapes) that has been boiled down to approximately
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 flavor is magnified over decades,
with the aged balsamic vinegar being kept in fine wood barrels, becoming
sweet, syrupy 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 balsamic vinegar unique. Balsamic vinegar
does not go bad after opening as oxygen is part
of the aging process, you can appreciate your best bottle
and use it on special occasions. Do
not overheat or cook balsamic vinegar
as it will ruin the flavor.
As a key ingredient
in vinaigrette dressings, balsamic blends
particularly well with olive oil. Olive oil-balsamic
vinaigrette is great with seafood,
artichokes and asparagus. A balsamic salad dressing does well
with winter veggies such as carrots, turnips, squash
and sweet potatoes, as well as new 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.
