aged balsamic vinegar
balsamic Vinegar
is a traditional heavy flavored vinegar typically used
in Tuscan gourmet cooking. It is frequently used as a salad
vinaigrette when combined with olive oil or as a marinade. It
is a traditional food product originating in Modena, Italy,
where it has been Created 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 expensive. True Balsamico
vinegar has been aged in casks fifteen years or more.
The primo balsamic vinegars
have no other ingredients added to them - only
the trebbiano grapes. Lesser vinegars will add brown sugar or caramel
to model the sweetness of the balsamic vinegars. If a company
creates a "traditional" balsamico vinegar,
they will also create a less expensive, but quality
vinegar as well.
View
our free Gourmet Balsamic vinaigrette Recipes.
Oil and vinegar Balsamic Vinaigrettes.
Balsamic vinegar is Created
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 wood barrels that concentrates
the flavors. The flavor is heightened over decades,
with the vinegar being kept in fine oak barrels, becoming
sweet, thick and very concentrated in flavor. Some
older balsamico vinegar is added to the "must"
to make 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 unique. Balsamic vinegar
does not deteriorate 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 destroy the taste.
As a key component
in vinaigrette dressings, balsamic pairs
especially well with olive oil. Olive oil-balsamic
vinaigrette is outstanding with lobster,
fresh spinach 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.
