balsamic
aged balsamic Vinegar
is a authentic thick flavored vinegar usually used
in Tuscan cooking. It is typically used as a salad
dressing when combined with vinegar or as a marinade. It
is a traditional import developed in Modena, Italy,
where it has been Made since the Middle Ages and the
brand is protected by the Italian government. Unlike
most common vinegars, it is very dark and heavy with a complex,
sweet flavor and is much more expensive. True Aged balsamic
vinegar has been aged 15 years or more.
The primo balsamico vinegars
have nothing else added to them - only
the grapes. Lesser common vinegars will include brown sugar or caramel
to model the sweetness of the true balsamico. If a company
creates a "traditional" aged balsamic vinegar,
they will also make a less expensive, but quality
vinegar as well.
View
our complimentary Balsamic 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 procedure
done in wood casks that concentrates
the flavours. The flavour is deepened over decades,
with the 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 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 starts the long evaporation and aging process
that makes aged balsamico vinegar striking and unique. Balsamic vinegar
does not degenerate after opening as oxygen is part
of the aging process, you can appreciate your finest bottle
and use it on special occasions. Do
not heat or cook balsamic vinegar
as it will ruin the flavour.
As a key ingredient
in vinaigrette dressings, balsamic pairs
particularly well with olive oil. Olive oil-balsamic
vinaigrette is great with lobster and scallops,
spinach and asparagus. A balsamic dressing does well
with winter veggies such as carrots, turnips, squash
and sweet potatoes, as well as spring 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.
