A staple in your kitchen cupboard: balsamic vinegar
Balsamic vinegar isn’t called ‘black gold’ for nothing. This syrupy delight adds a huge splash of extra Italian dolce vita to the most diverse dishes.
We’re rather fond of flavor enhancers that can elevate all kinds of dishes to a higher level. Balsamic vinegar, with its perfect combination of acidity & sweetness, is one such flavor enhancer. Aceto balsamico literally means ‘healing vinegar’. ‘Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale’ has been made in the Italian city of Modena since the Middle Ages, and the Romans loved it.
What makes balsamic vinegar special is that it is a type of vinegar that is not made from an alcoholic solution, like most vinegar (any alcoholic solution exposed to oxygen will eventually turn acidic), but from reduced grape must (in other words: grape juice that has not yet fermented).
How can you recognize a good balsamic vinegar?
Just like pretty much everything in life, balsamic vinegar comes in different types and qualities. In a good balsamic vinegar, sweet and sour are perfectly balanced, the flavor is complex, and you can taste and smell the wood of the barrels in which it has matured. Of course, you only buy the real thing: the one from Modena.
Two types of balsamic vinegar from Modena
Top of the bill is Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena P.D.O. Yes, that’s quite a mouthful, and the same goes for its flavor. That is due to the vinegar’s remarkable aging process. It takes place in increasingly different and smaller wooden barrels made from, among other woods, mulberry, juniper, chestnut and ash. The aging process lasts at least 12 years and often much longer. We once tasted balsamic vinegar that was twenty-five (!) years old. This exclusive balsamic vinegar comes with a price tag—but we still remember that one teaspoonful of pure indulgence…
If the label doesn’t say ‘Tradizionale’, but does say Aceto Balsamico di Modena P.G.I., the balsamic vinegar still comes from its original sacred soil, but it is produced in larger quantities (read: larger barrels). This versatile and world-famous Italian does an excellent job as a dressing over a salad, but that’s not where it ends.
Irresistible kitchen hero
Balsamic vinegar as a bread dip with a good extra virgin olive oil, with fried or grilled meat, over cooked green asparagus, green beans, chicory, broccoli or grilled vegetables (eggplant, zucchini, bell pepper), over hard cheeses such as Parmesan: it all works! And we haven’t even mentioned balsamic vinegar over strawberries, ice cream and panna cotta… You get it: balsamic vinegar belongs in your kitchen cupboard as standard. Buon appetito!
