Balsamic vinegar

The name of controlled origin exact is " Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale" , it is allotted to two distinct products:

Aceto Balsamico Treadizionale di Modena (corpulent bottles of 1dl).
Aceto Balsamico Treadizionale de Reggio Emillia (finer bottle of 1dl).

The two products come from the must cooking of the grape, of which mainly of Trebbiano. The juice is carried to boiling until losing 60% of its volume. It spends then several year in barrel of oak, one thus lets mature the vinegar during a certain time in buildings quite ventilated (under the roofs in general) so that must continues to concentrate by evaporation, then one transfer half of each barrel in a smaller barrel, in theory of cherry tree and one filled the barrel with oak by new a cooking of must and so on during very a long period, vinegar passes afterwards in barrels of chestnut, of wild cherry tree then of ash. The process lasts thus approximately 12 years, although name " 12 ans" in fact only one qualitative and concentrationnelle evaluation of Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale is which is to taste by the consortium before being put on the market.

The balsamic condiment

The balsamic condiment that one finds in the trade is in general old from 3 to 5 years and has a powerful flavor nevertheless, but with a very marked acidity. The balsamic condiment has a bitter-sweet savor which scents as well Salads as certain cooked dishes. Its price varies according to the age and the manufactures quality. It is necessary to be attentive with the fact that one also finds on the market of the " balsamique" resulting from aromatized and caramelized wine vinegars, they are only substitutes of very low level, not to use that for decorate a vinaigrette.

Genuine traditional balsamic vinegar

A few years ago nobody had not intended any to speak, today the gourmets swear only by this one. The " traditionnel" , out-of-date during 12,18,25 or 50 years out of wood barrels, it is rare and very expensive. But it is also useless to put some enormously since the extreme concentration makes a product of it be used with parsimony.

The older it is, the more acidity is weak and the more softness takes the top, one will be able thus to use one 12 years on a heart of ox net, cooked according to your tastes, once drawn up on the plate, addition a spoon with coffee directly on the meat (with vintage not of preliminary cooking), for one 25 years, to prepare a ball of ice vanilla and added a spoon to coffee to serve… a truth levels… with raised the night!

For the 50 years of age… it is so rare and so expensive that it is not divided! (approx. 500€ the DLL)

Etymology

The balsamic word is not, at the origin, a name of the vinegar, but quite simply an adjective which exists in French and in Italian (balsamico) and which indicates something who produces, contains balsam. This adjective thus applies to a whole heap of thing: plants, perfumes and food. The name of " vinegar balsamique" was given to this vinegar because it is the balsam (physiological exudation presented by certain plants) of the barrels of conservation which gives to the vinegar its typical taste.

Random links: