balsamic vinegar
aged balsamic Vinegar
is a authentic thick flavoured vinegar usually used
in Italian gourmet cooking. It is sometimes used as a salad
vinaigrette when combined with virgin olive oil or as a marinade. It
is a traditional product developed in Modena, Italy,
where it has been Produced since the Middle Ages and the
name is protected by the Italian government. Unlike
common vinegars, it is very dark and viscous with a complex,
sweet taste and is much more pricey. True Balsamico
vinegar has been aged in casks 15 years and upwards.
The finest balsamic vinegars
have no other ingredients added to them - only
the grapes. Lesser vinegars will add brown sugar or caramel
to model the sweetness of the true balsamic vinegars. If a company
makes a "traditional" balsamico vinegar,
they will also make a less costly, but quality
vinegar as well.
View
our complimentary Balsamic Recipes.
Oil and vinegar Balsamic 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 balsamico vinegar,
with a slow aging process
done in wood casks that concentrates
the flavors. The flavour is heightened over decades,
with the aged balsamic vinegar being kept in fine wood barrels, becoming
sweet, syrupy and very concentrated in flavour. Some
aged 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 unique. Balsamic vinegar
does not deteriorate after opening as oxygen is part
of the aging process, you can cherish your finest 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
especially 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 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.
