balsamic vinager
balsamico Vinegar
is a authentic heavy flavoured vinegar typically used
in Tuscan recipes. It is sometimes used as a salad
vinaigrette when combined with virgin olive 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
most common vinegars, it is very dark and thick with a complex,
sweet flavor and is much more expensive. True Balsamic
vinegar has been aged fifteen years and upwards.
The finest aged balsamic vinegars
have nothing else added to them - only
the trebbiano grapes. Lesser ones will add brown sugar or caramel
to feign the sweetness of the balsamic vinegars. If a company
produces a "traditional" balsamico vinegar,
they will also create a less expensive, but quality
vinegar as well.
View
our complimentary Balsamic vinaigrette Recipes.
Oil and vinegar Balsamic Vinaigrettes.
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 wood casks that concentrates
the flavors. The flavor is intensified over years,
with the aged balsamic vinegar being kept in fine wood barrels, becoming
sweet, thick and very concentrated in flavour. Some
aged balsamic 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 begins the long dehydration and aging process
that makes aged balsamic vinegar unique. Balsamic vinegar
does not deteriorate after opening as oxygen is part
of the aging process, you can treasure your best bottle
and use it on special entrees. Do
not overheat or cook balsamic vinegar
as it will ruin the flavour.
As a key component
in vinaigrette dressings, balsamic goes
particularly well with olive oil. Olive oil-balsamic
vinaigrette is wonderful with lobster and scallops,
artichokes and asparagus. A balsamic salad 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.
