modena balsamic vinegar
balsamic Vinegar
is a authentic thick flavoured vinegar typically used
in Tuscan cooking. It is sometimes used as a salad
vinaigrette when combined with oil or as a marinade. It
is a traditional food product developed in Modena, Italy,
where it has been Produced since the Middle Ages and the
name is protected by the Italian government. Unlike
table vinegars, it is very dark and thick with a complex,
sweet flavor and is much more costly. True Balsamic
vinegar has been aged in casks fifteen years and upwards.
The finest balsamic vinegars
have no other ingredients added to them - only
the trebbiano grapes. Lesser common vinegars will include brown sugar or caramel
to imitate the sweetness of the balsamic vinegars. If a company
makes a "traditional" balsamico vinegar,
they will also produce a less expensive, but high quality
vinegar as well.
View
our free Gourmet Balsamic Recipes.
Oil and vinegar Balsamic Dressings.
Balsamic vinegar is Produced
by concentrated white grapes (typically,
trebbiano grapes) that has been boiled down to approximately
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 flavour is magnified over decades,
with the 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 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 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 treasure your best bottle
and use it on special recipes. Do
not heat or cook balsamic vinegar
as it will ruin the flavour.
As a key component
in vinaigrette dressings, balsamic pairs
particularly well with olive oil. Olive oil-balsamic
vinaigrette is outstanding with lobster and scallops,
artichokes and asparagus. A balsamic dressing does well
with winter vegetables 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.
