balsamic vinegar
aged balsamic Vinegar
is a traditional heavy flavoured vinegar usually used
in Tuscan recipes. It is sometimes used as a salad
dressing when combined with virgin olive oil or as a marinade. It
is a traditional product originating in Modena, Italy,
where it has been Made since the Middle Ages and the
brand is protected by the Italian government. Unlike
most common vinegars, it is very dark and heavy with a complex,
sweet flavor and is much more expensive. True Balsamic
vinegar has been aged 15 years or more.
The primo balsamic vinegars
have nothing else added to them - only
the grapes. Lesser common vinegars will include brown sugar or caramel
to model the sweetness of the balsamic vinegars. If a company
produces a "traditional" balsamico vinegar,
they will also create a less costly, but high quality
vinegar as well.
View
our free Balsamic Recipes.
Oil and vinegar Balsamic Salad dressings.
Balsamic vinegar is Made
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 oak barrels that concentrates
the flavors. The flavor is intensified over decades,
with the balsamic vinegar being kept in fine wood barrels, becoming
sweet, thick and very concentrated in flavour. Some
aged 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 balsamic vinegar striking and unique. Balsamic vinegar
does not go bad after opening as oxygen is part
of the aging process, you can cherish your best bottle
and use it on special entrees. Do
not heat or cook balsamic vinegar
as it will destroy the flavor.
As a key ingredient
in vinaigrette dressings, balsamic pairs
especially well with olive oil. Olive oil-balsamic
vinaigrette is great with lobster,
fresh spinach and asparagus. A balsamic 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.
