This very special balsamic vinegar is now known as Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena (TBVM), or Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena—or more simply called, “Tradizionale” in Italian.
Aceto balsamico di Modena IGP is the most common type of balsamic vinegar you'll find in most Italian grocery stores. Look for the letters IGP on the label, which stands for “protected geographical indication,” and means that the vinegar was produced and bottled in Modena, Italy.
Restaurant chefs use white balsamic vinegar not only for its milder flavor, but also because it won't turn a salad dressing or sauce brown the way the regular stuff will. Use it in any vinaigrette recipe, for dressing roasted vegetables, or for deglazing a pan of crispy chicken thigh bits.
If you wish to add an additional touch of acidity to risotto, soup, meat and fish, roast and boiled meats, it is advisable to use a medium-aged balsamic vinegar. Then, to accompany cheese, crustaceans, fruit, ice-cream or spoon desserts, a balsamic vinegar aged over ten years is a must.
One of the agri-food products that you'll find on every single Italian dinner table is Balsamic Vinegar of Modena. It's a condiment that ranks as one of the pinnacles of Italian food and wine culture and it stands out for its typical intense brown color and characteristic sweet and sour flavor.
Italians have enjoyed a love affair with balsamic vinegar for nearly a thousand years. It has become a staple of the Italian diet, but its roots are firmly in the Modena region of the country.
And as for the balsamic vinegar, well, Italians don't put balsamic on bread. It's also expensive, and Italians don't feel it should be wasted on bread—rather, they use it (in combination with olive oil) for salads.
Cheaper, mass-produced 'balsamic' vinegar, often labelled as Balsamic Vinegar of Modena (Aceto Balsamico di Modena) is an inexpensive modern imitation of the traditional product. Imitation balsamic is often made with just wine vinegar, as opposed to grape must.
Among fruit vinegars made from grapes, a balsamic vinegar is an essential seasoning for Italian cuisine. In the city of Modena in northern Italy, it has been used as an anti-fatigue and digestive medicine among nobility and emperors since the Middle Ages.
Try putting a few drops on fresh berries, Parmesan or creamy desserts like panna cotta, zabaglione, or vanilla ice cream. It's also excellent drizzled over traditional veal scaloppine, a rich risotto or the Italian meat stew bollito misto.
Traditionally, balsamic vinegar comes from Italy, and, as a general rule, vinegars that are produced in the Modena or Reggio Emilia regions are considered the highest quality.
Good quality balsamic vinegar will have its ingredients listed as “Grape must, tradizionale'. This means that it has been aged for at least 12 years, and the vinegar will thick and sweet. Cheaper vinegar will be combined with a wine vinegar, caramel, flavourings and other ingredients.
Modena and Reggio Emilia, Italy are the only two cities in the world that make a special kind of balsamic vinegar known as “tradizionale,” which dates back to the 11th century. Regulations exists to safeguard the process of making tradizionale.
We suggest you use and Extra Virgin Olive Oil, however you can get crafty with different varieties. Balsamic Vinegar works, however, we suggest a nice red wine vinegar for your homemade Italian sub sandwich.
Vinegar, or aceto as it is known in Italian, has a surprisingly wide variety of industrial and domestic uses due to its mild acidity (acidità). It is a common ingredient in cooking and is also popular as a natural household cleaner (detergente).
Balsamic vinegar (Italian: aceto balsamico) is a dark, concentrated, intensely flavoured vinegar originating in Modena, Italy, made wholly or partially from grape must: freshly crushed grape juice with all the skins, seeds and stems.
While the tradition of making balsamic vinegar comes from Modena, all you really need to make balsamic vinegar is the juice from crushed grapes with the possible addition of wine vinegar. You can find many perfectly fine balsamic-style vinegars for every day use that aren't from Modena and aren't Italian.
Balsamics' enemies are light and heat, so cool, dark storage spaces are best. If you're using balsamic vinegars primarily for salads and like them chilled, they can be refrigerated. If you're using them for sauces, marinades, and reductions, store them in a cupboard.
Italians don't slather their bread with butter, nor dip it in olive oil and balsamic vinegar. They enjoy it with a light drizzle of olive oil or plain.
These aren't personal quirks but instead Italianish table mannerisms: To mask the taste of bad wine, meals often began with a bit of crisped bread dropped into the cup, hence the term “to toast.”
In Italy, meat consumption was forbidden during Lent, so people reached for fish and vegetables instead. To prepare these foods, they began using olive oil since it was the only fat not sourced from animals.
Balsamic vinegar actually derives its name from the word balm (rooted in the Latin balsamum), which refers to an aromatic resin or odour, as well as a substance that soothes, relieves or heals.
A person should limit their intake to about 2 tablespoons or less, as drinking too much can cause an upset stomach and other issues. People should pay careful attention to the label of the balsamic vinegar they buy. Genuine balsamic may be expensive but does not contain added sugars.
Sweet and smoky, this dark elixir can be used in salad dressings, sauces, and marinades, and even drizzled over steaks or fresh fruit.