traditional balsamic vinegar
aged balsamic Vinegar
is a traditional viscous flavoured vinegar normally used
in Tuscan gourmet cooking. It is often used as a salad
dressing when combined with virgin olive oil or as a marinade. It
is a traditional food product developed in Modena, Italy,
where it has been Made since the Middle Ages and the
brand is protected by the Italian government. Unlike
table vinegars, it is very dark and heavy with a complex,
sweet flavor and is much more costly. True Balsamic
vinegar has been aged fifteen years and upwards.
The best aged balsamic vinegars
have nothing else added to them - only
the trebbiano 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 develop a less expensive, but high quality
vinegar as well.
View
our complimentary Balsamic Recipes.
Oil and vinegar Balsamic Salad dressings.
Balsamic vinegar is Produced
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 barrels that concentrates
the flavours. The flavor is intensified over decades,
with the balsamic vinegar being kept in fine oak barrels, becoming
sweet, viscous and very concentrated in flavour. Some
older balsamic vinegar is added to the "must"
to produce 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 begins the long dehydration 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 treasure your finest bottle
and use it on special occasions. Do
not overheat or cook balsamic vinegar
as it will destroy the taste.
As a key ingredient
in vinaigrette dressings, balsamic pairs
very well with olive oil. Olive oil-balsamic
vinaigrette is wonderful with lobster,
fresh 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.
