balsamic vinager
aged balsamic Vinegar
is a authentic thick flavoured vinegar usually used
in Italian gourmet cooking. It is frequently used as a salad
dressing when combined with olive oil or as a marinade. It
is a traditional product originating in Modena, Italy,
where it has been Created since the Middle Ages and the
name is protected by the Italian government. Unlike
table vinegars, it is very dark and heavy with a complex,
sweet taste and is much more costly. True Aged balsamic
vinegar has been aged in casks 15 years or more.
The best balsamic vinegars
have no other ingredients added to them - only
the trebbiano grapes. Lesser ones will include brown sugar or caramel
to simulate the sweetness of the true balsamico. If a company
creates a "traditional" aged balsamic vinegar,
they will also develop a less costly, but high quality
vinegar as well.
View
our free Gourmet Balsamic Recipes.
Oil and vinegar Balsamic Salad 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 balsamico vinegar,
with a slow aging process
done in wood barrels that concentrates
the flavours. The flavour is intensified over decades,
with the vinegar being kept in fine wood barrels, becoming
sweet, thick and very concentrated in flavor. Some
aged balsamic vinegar is added to the "must"
to create 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 balsamic vinegar striking and unique. Balsamic vinegar
does not go bad after opening as oxygen is part
of the aging process, you can treasure 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
especially well with olive oil. Olive oil-balsamic
vinaigrette is great with scallops,
fresh spinach and asparagus. A balsamic dressing does well
with winter vegetables 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.
