balsamic vinager
balsamic Vinegar
is a authentic thick flavored vinegar usually used
in Tuscan recipes. It is frequently used as a salad
vinaigrette when combined with oil or as a marinade. It
is a traditional product developed in Modena, Italy,
where it has been Created since the Middle Ages and the
name is protected by the Italian government. Unlike
most common vinegars, it is dark and viscous with a complex,
sweet flavor and is much more expensive. True Balsamic
vinegar has been aged in casks 15 years or more.
The best balsamic vinegars
have nothing else added to them - only
the trebbiano grapes. Lesser common vinegars will include brown sugar or caramel
to simulate the sweetness of the balsamic vinegars. If a company
produces a "traditional" aged balsamic vinegar,
they will also create a less costly, but high quality
vinegar as well.
View
our free Gourmet Balsamic vinaigrette Recipes.
Oil and vinegar Balsamic Vinaigrettes.
Balsamic vinegar is Created
by concentrated 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 procedure
done in wood casks that concentrates
the flavours. The flavor is heightened over years,
with the aged balsamic vinegar being kept in fine oak barrels, becoming
sweet, viscous and very concentrated in flavor. Some
older balsamico 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 balsamico vinegar striking and unique. Balsamic vinegar
does not deteriorate after opening as oxygen is part
of the aging process, you can appreciate your finest bottle
and use it on special recipes. Do
not heat or cook balsamic vinegar
as it will destroy the taste.
As a key component
in vinaigrette dressings, balsamic goes
very well with olive oil. Olive oil-balsamic
vinaigrette is outstanding with lobster and scallops,
fresh spinach and asparagus. A balsamic vinaigrette 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.
