traditional balsamic vinegar
balsamico Vinegar
is a traditional viscous flavored vinegar typically used
in Tuscan gourmet cooking. It is frequently used as a salad
vinaigrette when combined with oil or as a marinade. It
is a traditional import originating in Modena, Italy,
where it has been Produced since the Middle Ages and the
name is protected by the Italian government. Unlike
most common vinegars, it is dark and heavy with a complex,
sweet taste and is much more pricey. True Balsamic
vinegar has been aged fifteen years or more.
The best aged balsamic vinegars
have no other ingredients added to them - only
the grapes. Lesser vinegars will include brown sugar or caramel
to simulate the sweetness of the true balsamic vinegars. If a company
creates a "traditional" aged balsamic vinegar,
they will also create a less costly, but quality
vinegar as well.
View
our free Gourmet Balsamic Recipes.
Oil and vinegar Balsamic Vinaigrettes.
Balsamic vinegar is Made
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 balsamico vinegar,
with a slow aging process
done in wood barrels that concentrates
the flavors. The flavor is magnified over years,
with the vinegar being kept in fine oak barrels, becoming
sweet, viscous and very concentrated in flavor. Some
aged balsamic vinegar is added to the "must"
to create 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 starts the long dehydration and aging process
that makes aged balsamico vinegar unusual. Balsamic vinegar
does not degenerate after opening as oxygen is part
of the aging process, you can treasure your best bottle
and use it on special occasions. Do
not heat or cook balsamic vinegar
as it will destroy the taste.
As a key ingredient
in vinaigrette dressings, balsamic blends
very well with olive oil. Olive oil-balsamic
vinaigrette is wonderful with lobster and scallops,
fresh spinach and asparagus. A balsamic vinaigrette 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.
