Balsamic Vinegar, Balsamic Vinegar Recipes, Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale, Balsamic Vinegar History, Aged Balsamic Vinegar Recipes

Balsamic Vinegar - Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale Vinegar
All Balsamic Vinegars are not created equal!

The best balsamic vinegars have nothing else added to them - only the grapes.

A few drops add character and a distinctive personality to any dish.

Until approximately 25 years ago in the late 1970s, true balsamic vinegar or Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale as it is called in Italian, was an Italian artisanal product relatively unknown outside of Italy.

The same country that brought you such notable artists as Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci, as part of the Renaissance, also provides a culinary artistry that offers incomparable quality and taste - the wonderfully adaptable aged balsamic vinegar, aceto balsamico di Modena. Balsamic vinegar can only be produced in the regions of Modena and Reggio in Italy.

Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale has actually been being made for nearly a thousand years, but never for commercial use. It was a well kept guard family secret to the rest of the world and relatively unknown even to other Italians. Instead families would pass it on as an heirloom, give it away in very small vials to friends, or bequeath it to a daughter as part of her dowry.

The first historical reference to balsamic vinegar dates back to 1046, when a bottle of balsamic vinegar was reportedly given to Emperor Enrico III of Franconia as a gift. In the Middle Ages, it was used as a disinfectant. It also had a reputation as a miracle cure - good for everything from sore throats to labor pains.

The production of balsamic vinegar resembles that of wine making. Balsamic vinegar is an aged reduction of white sweet grapes (Trebbiano for red and Spergola for white sauvignon) that are boiled to a syrup. The grapes are cooked very slowly in copper cauldrons over an open flame until the water content is reduced by over 50%. The resulting "must" is placed into wooden barrels and an older balsamic vinegar is added to assist in the acetification. Each year the vinegar is transferred to different wood barrels so that the vinegar can obtain some of the flavors of the different woods. The only approved woods are oak, cherry, chestnut, mulberry, a cacia, juniper, and ash. The age of the vinegar is divided into young – from 3 to 5 years maturation; middle aged 6 to 12 years and the highly prized very old which is at least 12 years and up to 150 years old.

For more information on the history of traditional balsamic vinegar: History - History of Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena.

Standards adopted and administered by consortia in Modena and Reggio Emilia govern every aspect of how balsamic vinegar is produced and aged. This includes the bottle shape and even the foil that cover the cap.

Lesser balsamic vinegars have brown sugar or caramel added to mimic the sweetness of the better-quality ones. If a company produces a "traditional" balsamic vinegar, they will also produce a less expensive, but high quality vinegar as well. This is the same vinegar with the same heritage but not aged as long. You can have confidence in purchasing these balsamic vinegars. CHECK YOUR LABELS!

There is a lot of confusion about balsamic vinegar. On the grocery shelves you will find $3.00 bottles next to $25.00 bottles (often the $3.00 bottles have fancier labels). But, buyer beware! Not all balsamic vinegars are what they appear to be.

True aceto balsamic vinegar comes in 3.4 ounce bottles and sells from $50.00 to $500.00 per bottle. It must be aged a minimum of 10 year. The better balsamic vinegars are aged 25 to 50 years (these are not to be poured, but used by the drop). Find a good-quality medium priced one to use in your cooking. The commercial grade or "cheap" balsamic vinegars work great in vinaigrettes.

Ideas for serving Balsamic Vinegar: