balsamic
aged balsamic Vinegar
is a authentic viscous flavoured vinegar ordinarily used
in Tuscan food preparation. 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 Produced since the Middle Ages and the
name is protected by the Italian government. Unlike
common vinegars, it is very dark and thick with a complex,
sweet flavor and is much more pricey. True Balsamic
vinegar has been aged in casks 15 years and upwards.
The primo balsamic vinegars
have no other ingredients added to them - only
the grapes. Lesser common vinegars will include brown sugar or caramel
to feign the sweetness of the balsamic vinegars. If a company
creates a "traditional" aged balsamic vinegar,
they will also produce a less expensive, but quality
vinegar as well.
View
our complimentary Balsamic vinaigrette Recipes.
Oil and vinegar Balsamic Salad dressings.
Balsamic vinegar is Created
by reduced 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 balsamic vinegar,
with a slow aging procedure
done in wood barrels that concentrates
the flavours. The flavour is magnified over years,
with the aged balsamic vinegar being kept in fine oak barrels, becoming
sweet, syrupy and very concentrated in flavor. Some
aged balsamic vinegar is added to the "must"
to produce 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 begins the long dehydration and aging process
that makes aged balsamico vinegar unusual. Balsamic vinegar
does not go bad after opening as oxygen is part
of the aging process, you can treasure your best bottle
and use it on special occasions. Do
not heat or cook balsamic vinegar
as it will destroy the taste.
As a key component
in vinaigrette dressings, balsamic blends
very well with olive oil. Olive oil-balsamic
vinaigrette is outstanding with scallops,
spinach and asparagus. A balsamic salad dressing does well
with winter veggies 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.
