traditional balsamic vinegar
aged balsamic Vinegar
is a authentic heavy flavored vinegar typically used
in Tuscan cooking. It is sometimes used as a salad
dressing when combined with olive oil or as a marinade. It
is a traditional product developed in Modena, Italy,
where it has been Made since the Middle Ages and the
name is protected by the Italian government. Unlike
table vinegars, it is dark and thick with a complex,
sweet flavor and is much more expensive. True Balsamic
vinegar has been aged in casks 15 years and upwards.
The finest balsamico vinegars
have nothing else added to them - only
the trebbiano grapes. Lesser common vinegars will add brown sugar or caramel
to simulate the sweetness of the authentic balsamic vinegars. If a company
makes a "traditional" aged balsamic vinegar,
they will also create a less costly, but quality
vinegar as well.
View
our free Balsamic vinaigrette Recipes.
Oil and vinegar Balsamic Salad dressings.
Balsamic vinegar is Made
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 procedure
done in wood barrels that concentrates
the flavours. The flavour is magnified over years,
with the vinegar being kept in fine wood barrels, becoming
sweet, syrupy and very concentrated in flavor. Some
older balsamic vinegar is added to the "must"
to produce 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 evaporation and aging process
that makes aged balsamico vinegar striking and unique. Balsamic vinegar
does not degenerate after opening as oxygen is part
of the aging process, you can cherish your best bottle
and use it on special recipes. Do
not heat or cook balsamic vinegar
as it will ruin the flavor.
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 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.
