Balsamic
vinegar
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The original traditional
product (Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale),
made from a reduction of cooked white Trebbiano
grape juice
and not a vinegar
in the usual sense, has been made in Modena and Reggio Emilia[1]
since the Middle Ages: the production of the balsamic vinegar is mentioned in a
document dated 1046. During the Renaissance,
it was appreciated in the House of Este.[2]
Today, the traditional balsamic vinegar is highly valued by chefs and gourmet
food lovers.
The names "Aceto Balsamico
Tradizionale di Modena" (Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena) and
"Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Reggio Emilia" (Traditional
Balsamic Vinegar of Reggio Emilia) are protected by both the Italian Denominazione di origine protetta and the European Union's
Protected Designation of Origin.
Balsamic Vinegar of Modena (Aceto
Balsamico di Modena), a less expensive imitation of the traditional
product, is today widely available and much better known, but received IGP
label. This is the kind commonly used for salad dressing
together with oil.
The word balsamico (from Latin balsamum, from Greek
balsamon) means "balsam-like"
in the sense of "restorative" or "curative".[3]
Classifications
of balsamic vinegar
There are three types of balsamic
vinegar:
- Authentic traditional artisan balsamic vinegar, the
only kind that may legally be described as Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale
in the EU.
- Commercial grade balsamic vinegars produced on an
industrial scale.
- Condimento
grade products, which are often a mix of the two above.
Aceto
Balsamico Tradizionale
Only two consortia produce true
traditional balsamic vinegar, Modena and neighboring Reggio Emilia.
True balsamic vinegar is made from a reduction of pressed Trebbiano
and Lambrusco
grapes.[4]
The resulting thick syrup, called mosto cotto in Italian, is subsequently aged
for a minimum of 12 years in a battery of seven barrels of successively smaller
sizes. The casks are made of different woods like chestnut,
acacia,
cherry,
oak,
mulberry,
ash,
and, in the past, juniper. True balsamic vinegar is rich, glossy, deep brown in color
and has a complex flavour that balances the natural sweet and sour elements of
the cooked grape juice with hints of wood from the casks.
Reggio Emilia designates the
different ages of their balsamic vinegar (Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di
Reggio Emilia) by label colour. A red label means the vinegar has been aged
for at least 12 years, a silver label that the vinegar has aged for at least 18
years and a gold label that designates the vinegar has aged for 25 years or
more.
Modena uses a different system to
indicate the age of its balsamic vinegars (Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di
Modena). A cream-coloured cap means the vinegar has aged for at least 12
years and a magenta cap bearing the designation extravecchio (extra old)
shows the vinegar has aged for 25 years or more.
Condimento grade balsamic vinegar
Condimento balsamic vinegars may be labeled as condimento balsamico,
salsa balsamica or salsa di mosto cotto. Condimento
balsamic vinegar may be made in any of the following ways:
- Made and aged in the traditional way in Modena or
Reggio Emilia, but without consortium supervision and approval until 2009,
but now with Reg.CEE n. 583/2009 the product is IGP (PGI)
- Made by producers of tradizionale balsamic
vinegars but aged less than the minimum 12 years, so no consortium
approval is possible
- Made by the same method as the tradizionale
vinegars, but made by producers located outside of Modena and Reggio
Emilia provinces and not made under consortium supervision
- Made of ordinary balsamic vinegar (see below) with the
addition of reduced grape juice (mosto cotto) in varying
proportions, without any aging
As there are no official standards
or labeling systems to designate condimento balsamic vinegars, it can be
hard to tell their quality based on the packaging alone.[1]
Balsamic
Vinegar of Modena
These commercial grade products
imitate the traditional product. They are made of wine vinegar
with the addition of colouring, caramel
and sometimes thickeners like guar gum
or cornflour
to artificially simulate the sweetness and thickness of the aged Aceto
Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena. To meet IGP
status it requires a minimum aging period of two months, not necessarily in
wooden barrels, rising to three years when labeled as invecchiato
(aged). As the manufacturing process is highly industrialized, a medium sized
producer may produce hundreds of litres per day.
Traditional
processes
of just-harvested white grapes
(typically, Trebbiano grapes) boiled down to approximately 30% of the original
volume to create a concentrate or must, which is then fermented with a
slow aging process which concentrates the flavours. The flavour intensifies
over the years, with the vinegar being stored in wooden casks, becoming sweet,
viscous and very concentrated. During this period, a portion evaporates: it is
said that this is the "angels' share,"
a term also used in the production of bourbon whiskey,
scotch whisky, wine, and other alcoholic beverages.
None of the product may be withdrawn
until the end of the minimum aging period of 12 years. At the end of the aging
period (12, 18, or 25 years) a small portion is drawn from the smallest cask
and each cask is then topped up with the contents of the preceding (next
larger) cask. Freshly reduced cooked must is added to the largest cask and in
every subsequent year the drawing and topping up process is repeated.[4]
This process where the product is distributed from the oldest cask and then
refilled from the next oldest vintage cask is called solera or in perpetuum.
Consortium-sealed Tradizionale
balsamic vinegar 100 ml bottles can cost between US$150 and $400 each.
Uses
Commercial-grade balsamic vinegar is
used in salad dressings, dips, marinades, reductions and sauces.
In Emilia-Romagna, tradizionale
vinegar is most often served in drops on top of chunks of Parmigiano Reggiano and mortadella as an antipasto.
It is also used sparingly to enhance steaks, eggs
or grilled fish, as well as on fresh fruit such as strawberries
and pears
and on plain crema (custard) gelato. Tradizionale vinegar may be
drunk from a tiny glass to conclude a meal.
Contemporary chefs use both tradizionale
and condimento vinegars sparingly in simple dishes where the balsamic
vinegar's complex tastes are highlighted, using it to enhance dishes like scallops
or shrimp,
or on simple pastas
and risottos.
The entire wiki link on this subject can be found at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balsamic_vinegar
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