traditional balsamic vinegar
balsamico Vinegar
is a traditional thick flavored vinegar commonly used
in Italian cooking. It is frequently used as a salad
dressing when combined with vinegar or as a marinade. It
is a traditional food product that was developed in Modena, Italy,
where it has been Created since the Middle Ages and the
name is protected by the Italian government. Unlike
common vinegars, it is very dark and thick with a complex,
sweet flavor and is much more pricey. True Balsamic
vinegar has been aged in casks fifteen years or more.
The primo balsamico vinegars
have nothing else added to them - only
the grapes. Lesser common vinegars will include brown sugar or caramel
to imitate the sweetness of the true balsamic vinegars. If a company
produces a "traditional" balsamic vinegar,
they will also create a less expensive, but high quality
vinegar as well.
View
our free Balsamic Recipes.
Oil and vinegar Balsamic 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 balsamic vinegar,
with a slow aging process
done in oak casks that concentrates
the flavours. The flavor is intensified over decades,
with the vinegar being kept in fine wood barrels, becoming
sweet, thick 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 starts the long evaporation and aging process
that makes aged balsamico vinegar unique. Balsamic vinegar
does not go bad 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 ruin the flavour.
As a key component
in vinaigrette dressings, balsamic blends
very well with olive oil. Olive oil-balsamic
vinaigrette is outstanding with scallops,
spinach 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.
