The finest balsamico vinegars have nothing else added to them - only the trebbiano grapes. Lesser vinegars will include brown sugar or caramel to model the sweetness of the true balsamic vinegars. If a company produces a "traditional" balsamic vinegar, they will also create a less costly, but quality vinegar as well.

View our complimentary Balsamic vinaigrette Recipes.
Oil and vinegar Balsamic Salad 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 heightened over decades, with the vinegar being kept in fine oak barrels, becoming sweet, syrupy and very concentrated in flavour. 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 evaporation and aging process that makes aged balsamico vinegar unusual. Balsamic vinegar does not deteriorate after opening as oxygen is part of the aging process, you can cherish your finest bottle and use it on special entrees. Do not heat or cook balsamic vinegar as it will ruin the flavor.

As a key ingredient in vinaigrette dressings, balsamic pairs particularly well with olive oil. Olive oil-balsamic vinaigrette is great with lobster and scallops, fresh spinach and asparagus. A balsamic salad dressing does well with winter vegetables 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.

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