balsamic vinager
aged balsamic Vinegar
is a authentic viscous flavored vinegar ordinarily used
in Italian recipes. It is typically used as a salad
dressing when combined with vinegar or as a marinade. It
is a traditional import originating in Modena, Italy,
where it has been Produced since the Middle Ages and the
brand is protected by the Italian government. Unlike
table vinegars, it is very dark and heavy with a complex,
sweet flavor and is much more pricey. True Aged balsamic
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 add brown sugar or caramel
to imitate the sweetness of the balsamic vinegars. If a company
makes a "traditional" balsamic vinegar,
they will also produce a less costly, but high quality
vinegar as well.
View
our complimentary Balsamic Recipes.
Oil and vinegar Balsamic Salad dressings.
Balsamic vinegar is Produced
by concentrated 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 casks that concentrates
the flavours. The flavor is magnified over decades,
with the vinegar being kept in fine oak barrels, becoming
sweet, syrupy and very concentrated in flavour. Some
aged 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 evaporation and aging process
that makes aged balsamic vinegar 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 occasions. Do
not heat or cook balsamic vinegar
as it will destroy the flavor.
As a key component
in vinaigrette dressings, balsamic blends
particularly well with olive oil. Olive oil-balsamic
vinaigrette is great 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 new 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.
