balsamic vinager
balsamic Vinegar
is a authentic viscous flavored vinegar normally used
in Tuscan food preparation. It is typically used as a salad
dressing when combined with oil or as a marinade. It
is a traditional product originating in Modena, Italy,
where it has been Produced since the Middle Ages and the
name is protected by the Italian government. Unlike
table vinegars, it is very dark and thick with a complex,
sweet flavor and is much more costly. True Balsamico
vinegar has been aged fifteen years or more.
The finest aged balsamic vinegars
have nothing else added to them - only
the trebbiano grapes. Lesser vinegars will include brown sugar or caramel
to imitate the sweetness of the balsamic vinegars. If a company
produces a "traditional" balsamic vinegar,
they will also make a less expensive, but quality
vinegar as well.
View
our complimentary Balsamic Recipes.
Oil and vinegar Balsamic Vinaigrettes.
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 procedure
done in oak barrels that concentrates
the flavors. The flavor is deepened over decades,
with the aged balsamic vinegar being kept in fine oak barrels, becoming
sweet, syrupy and very concentrated in flavour. Some
older balsamico vinegar is added to the "must"
to make 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 balsamic vinegar unusual. 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 entrees. Do
not overheat or cook balsamic vinegar
as it will ruin the flavor.
As a key component
in vinaigrette dressings, balsamic blends
especially well with olive oil. Olive oil-balsamic
vinaigrette is wonderful with scallops,
fresh spinach and asparagus. A balsamic 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.
