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Balsamic vinegar
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Description
Name: Balsamic vinegar.
Product type: The raw material used is cooked grape must which is allowed to acetify and age in a progression of different-sized casks that form what is known as the "battery".
Ageing: A good balsamic vinegar is at least 12 years old, but various aging periods are available, some even more than half a century old.
Production area: Traditional Balsamic Vinegar is produced exclusively in the province of Modena.
Note: It can be used in any recipe, from hors d'oeuvres to desserts. |
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THE SECRETS OF BALSAMIC VINEGAR |
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Balsamic vinegar is one of the cornerstones of Italian gastronomy world-wide, produced exclusively in the province of Modena (in the Northern Italian region of Emilia Romagna) according to the same time-honoured method vinegar-makers have used for centuries. Locally-grown grapes are the preferred raw material, mainly the Lambrusco and Trebbiano varieties, from which the cooked must to be matured in the special casks is obtained.
Cooking, which takes place almost at the same time as pressing, leads to an almost 50% concentration of must; this is the first step towards forming the "battery", the term used to describe the series of casks made from different types of wood (oak, mulberry, chestnut, cherry) in which the processes of acetification and lengthy ageing take place.
Once the ageing process has got under way, each year the "decanting" process takes place, with the tapping of the vinegar ready for consumption from the smallest barrel and the addition of more cooked must to the largest barrel.
The rest is down to the time and patience of those who manage their vinegar room with skill. The quality of a balsamic vinegar is a subtle blend of variables in which ageing plays the most important role. About 12 years are sufficient for a product that although "young" is nevertheless good enough to thrill the palate. However, when compared to a 25- or 50-year-old vinegar the difference is obvious.
Once held to possess therapeutic properties, today balsamic vinegar is the epitome of taste, and can be used in any recipe, from hors d'oeuvres to desserts.Balsamic vinegar is an essential ingredient in many first course dishes, like Tagliatelle with balsamic vinegar.
Just a few drops are all that is required to turn an "ordinary" dish into a work of culinary art, from fillet or Parmigiano Reggiano to formaggio di fossa and even strawberries and plain ice cream. Finally, just a few drops in a teaspoon will suffice to aid digestion in a natural and decidedly agreeable way.
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