traditional 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 olive oil 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 dark and heavy with a complex,
sweet flavor and is much more pricey. True Balsamic
vinegar has been aged fifteen years or more.
The finest balsamico vinegars
have no other ingredients added to them - only
the grapes. Lesser ones will include brown sugar or caramel
to model the sweetness of the true balsamico. If a company
makes a "traditional" balsamic vinegar,
they will also produce a less expensive, but high quality
vinegar as well.
View
our complimentary Balsamic vinaigrette Recipes.
Oil and vinegar Balsamic Salad dressings.
Balsamic vinegar is Produced
by reduced 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 procedure
done in wood casks that concentrates
the flavors. The flavor is deepened over decades,
with the balsamic vinegar being kept in fine oak barrels, becoming
sweet, thick and very concentrated in flavor. Some
older balsamico vinegar is added to the "must"
to create 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 dehydration and aging process
that makes aged balsamic 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 recipes. Do
not heat or cook balsamic vinegar
as it will ruin the taste.
As a key component
in vinaigrette dressings, balsamic goes
very well with olive oil. Olive oil-balsamic
vinaigrette is outstanding with seafood,
spinach and asparagus. A balsamic salad dressing does well
with winter veggies such as carrots, turnips, squash
and sweet potatoes, as well as new 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.
