balsamic vinager
balsamic Vinegar
is a authentic thick flavoured vinegar ordinarily used
in Tuscan food preparation. It is frequently used as a salad
dressing when combined with vinegar or as a marinade. It
is a traditional product 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 dark and thick with a complex,
sweet flavor and is much more costly. True Balsamico
vinegar has been aged in casks fifteen years and upwards.
The finest balsamico vinegars
have nothing else added to them - only
the trebbiano grapes. Lesser ones will include brown sugar or caramel
to model the sweetness of the better ones. If a company
makes a "traditional" balsamic vinegar,
they will also produce a less expensive, but high quality
vinegar as well.
View
our complimentary Balsamic Recipes.
Oil and vinegar Balsamic Dressings.
Balsamic vinegar is Made
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 flavours. The flavour is magnified over years,
with the aged balsamic vinegar being kept in fine oak barrels, becoming
sweet, viscous and very concentrated in flavor. 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 starts the long dehydration and aging process
that makes aged balsamico vinegar striking and unique. Balsamic vinegar
does not deteriorate after opening as oxygen is part
of the aging process, you can treasure your best bottle
and use it on special entrees. Do
not heat or cook balsamic vinegar
as it will destroy the taste.
As a key component
in vinaigrette dressings, balsamic pairs
very well with olive oil. Olive oil-balsamic
vinaigrette is wonderful with lobster and scallops,
spinach and asparagus. A balsamic salad 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.
