balsamic vinager
aged balsamic Vinegar
is a authentic viscous flavored vinegar ordinarily used
in Italian gourmet cooking. It is often used as a salad
dressing when combined with olive oil or as a marinade. It
is a traditional product that was developed in Modena, Italy,
where it has been Made since the Middle Ages and the
brand is protected by the Italian government. Unlike
common vinegars, it is dark and heavy with a complex,
sweet flavor and is much more costly. True Aged balsamic
vinegar has been aged fifteen years or more.
The finest balsamico vinegars
have no other ingredients added to them - only
the trebbiano grapes. Lesser vinegars will include brown sugar or caramel
to mimic the sweetness of the true balsamic vinegars. If a company
makes a "traditional" balsamic vinegar,
they will also create a less costly, but quality
vinegar as well.
View
our complimentary Balsamic Recipes.
Oil and vinegar Balsamic Salad dressings.
Balsamic vinegar is Produced
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 procedure
done in wood casks that concentrates
the flavors. The flavor is magnified over years,
with the vinegar being kept in fine oak barrels, becoming
sweet, thick and very concentrated in flavour. Some
older balsamico vinegar is added to the "must"
to make a more complex and intricate taste, and to
add acidity.
The thick syrup is transferred
to oak casks to ferment in the open
air and then begins the long dehydration and aging process
that makes aged balsamico vinegar unusual. Balsamic vinegar
does not degenerate after opening as oxygen is part
of the aging process, you can treasure your best bottle
and use it on special recipes. Do
not overheat or cook balsamic vinegar
as it will destroy the taste.
As a key component
in vinaigrette dressings, balsamic goes
especially well with olive oil. Olive oil-balsamic
vinaigrette is outstanding with scallops,
artichokes and asparagus. A balsamic salad dressing does well
with winter vegetables such as carrots, turnips, squash
and sweet potatoes, as well as spring 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.
