balsamic vinager
balsamico Vinegar
is a authentic heavy flavoured vinegar commonly 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 import originating in Modena, Italy,
where it has been Made 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 costly. True Balsamic
vinegar has been aged 15 years or more.
The best aged balsamic vinegars
have nothing else added to them - only
the trebbiano grapes. Lesser vinegars will include brown sugar or caramel
to model the sweetness of the true balsamic vinegars. If a company
produces a "traditional" balsamic vinegar,
they will also produce a less costly, but quality
vinegar as well.
View
our free Balsamic Recipes.
Oil and vinegar Balsamic Salad dressings.
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 casks that concentrates
the flavors. The flavor is deepened over decades,
with the aged balsamic vinegar being kept in fine wood barrels, becoming
sweet, syrupy and very concentrated in flavour. Some
older balsamico vinegar is added to the "must"
to produce 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 unique. Balsamic vinegar
does not go bad after opening as oxygen is part
of the aging process, you can cherish your finest bottle
and use it on special occasions. Do
not heat or cook balsamic vinegar
as it will ruin the taste.
As a key component
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 salad 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.
