balsamic vinager
aged balsamic Vinegar
is a authentic thick flavoured vinegar ordinarily used
in Italian gourmet cooking. It is frequently used as a salad
dressing when combined with vinegar or as a marinade. It
is a traditional food product developed in Modena, Italy,
where it has been Made since the Middle Ages and the
name is protected by the Italian government. Unlike
most common vinegars, it is very dark and thick with a complex,
sweet taste and is much more expensive. True Balsamico
vinegar has been aged in casks 15 years or more.
The best balsamic vinegars
have nothing else added to them - only
the trebbiano grapes. Lesser vinegars will add brown sugar or caramel
to imitate the sweetness of the authentic balsamic vinegars. If a company
makes a "traditional" balsamic vinegar,
they will also develop a less costly, but high quality
vinegar as well.
View
our free Balsamic vinaigrette Recipes.
Oil and vinegar Balsamic Vinaigrettes.
Balsamic vinegar is Created
by reduced 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 barrels that concentrates
the flavors. The flavour is magnified over years,
with the balsamic vinegar being kept in fine oak barrels, becoming
sweet, syrupy and very concentrated in flavour. Some
aged 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 starts the long dehydration and aging process
that makes aged balsamic vinegar striking and unique. Balsamic vinegar
does not degenerate after opening as oxygen is part
of the aging process, you can appreciate your best bottle
and use it on special recipes. Do
not heat or cook balsamic vinegar
as it will ruin the flavor.
As a key ingredient
in vinaigrette dressings, balsamic pairs
very well with olive oil. Olive oil-balsamic
vinaigrette is great with lobster and scallops,
artichokes 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.
