Three desserts in Modena with balsamic vinegar: clockwise from left, panna cotta, zabaglione, and crème caramel.

Balsamic vinegar (Italian: aceto balsamico) is a traditional flavoured vinegar commonly used in Italian cuisine. It is also often used as a salad dressing when combined with oil. It is a traditional product originating in Modena, where it has been made since the Middle Ages and some of the names (notably: "Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena") are protected by the Denominazione di Origine Protetta and the European Union's Protected designation of origin. Unlike common vinegars, only the Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena is dark and thick with a complex but sweet taste, well aged, and much more expensive. Download high resolution version (1632x1232, 760 KB)Desserts with balsamic vinegar File links The following pages link to this file: Balsamic vinegar Categories: GFDL images ... Download high resolution version (1632x1232, 760 KB)Desserts with balsamic vinegar File links The following pages link to this file: Balsamic vinegar Categories: GFDL images ... Panna cotta in blackberry sauce Panna cotta in strawberry sauce Panna cotta is an Italian desert made by simmering together some cream, milk and sugar, mixing this with gelatin, before letting it cool until set. ... Zabaglione is an Italian dessert made with egg yolks, sugar, a sweet liquor (usually Marsala wine), and sometimes cream or whole eggs. ... Homemade flan, Florida style Crème caramel, flan, or caramel custard is a kind of rich custard dessert with a layer of soft caramel on top, as opposed to crème brûlée, which is custard with a hard caramel top. ... Vinegar is sometimes infused with spices or herbs—as here, with oregano. ... Italian cuisine as a national cuisine known today has evolved through centuries of social and political change. ... —Cleopatra, in Shakespeares Antony and Cleopatra, 1606 A salad is a food item generally served either prior to or after the main dish as a separate course, as a main course in itself, or as a side dish accompanying the main dish. ... Modena (Mòdna in Modenese dialect) is a city and a province on the south side of the Po valley, in Emilia-Romagna, Italy. ... The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times, beginning with the Renaissance. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Protected geographical indications in the European Union. ...

Traditional Balsamic Vinegar is highly appreciated and valued by chefs and gourmet food lovers. The Italian food writer Marcella Hazan has been credited with popularising it in Britain and North America (where it was largely unknown until the 1980s). For other uses, see Chef (disambiguation). ... A gourmet is a person with a sensitive and discriminating palate, and who is knowledgeable in fine food and drink or haute cuisine. ... Marcella Hazan, maiden name Marcella Polini, (born 1924) is an Italian cookery writer who writes in English. ... North American redirects here. ...

Classifications of balsamic vinegar

Only two consortia produce true Traditional Balsamic Vinegar, Modena and Reggio Emilia. Reggio Emila (Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Reggio Emilia) designates the different ages of their balsamic vinegar 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^[1]. Modena (Mòdna in Modenese dialect) is a city and a province on the south side of the Po valley, in Emilia-Romagna, Italy. ... Country Italy Region Emilia-Romagna Province Reggio Emilia (RE) Mayor Graziano Delrio (from July 1, 2004) Elevation 58 m Area 231 km² Population  - Total 141,383  - Density 612/km² Time zone CET, UTC+1 Coordinates Gentilic Reggiani Dialing code 0522 Postal code 42100 Frazioni see list Patron San Prospero  - Day...

Modena (Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena) uses a different system to indicate the age of their balsamic vinegars. A white cup means the vinegar has aged for at least 12 years and a golden cup bearing the designation extravecchio to show the vinegar has aged for 25 years or more^[1].

Condimento balsamic vinegars are made in the same method as the tradizionale vinegars, but are distributed by producers who are either located outside of the Modena or Reggio provinces of Italy or do not have consortium approval. Some producers of tradizionale balsamic vinegars also produce condimento grade vinegars. Condimento balsamic vinegars may be labeled as condimento balsamico, salsa balsamica or salsa di mosto cotto. However, there are no official standards or labeling systems to designate condimento balsamic vinegars^[2].

Uses

Commercial grade balsamic vinegar can be used in salad dressings, marinades and sauces. Cooks use tradizionale and condimento vinegars in small amounts in simple dishes where the balsamic vinegar's complex tastes can be noted. Young vinegars (3–5 years) are used in salad dressing while mid-aged balsamic vinegars (6–12 years) are used to enhance sauces, pastas and risottos. Old vinegars (12 years plus), which are very rich and thick, are used sparsely to enhance plain meat or fish, fresh fruit such as strawberries or even drunk from a small glass to conclude a meal. It is also used as a topping on vanilla ice cream.Some people use it instead of wine in food (because wine is forbidden in some religions) ^[1]. For other uses, see Strawberry (disambiguation). ...

Manufacture

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Barrels of balsamic vinegar aging in a maker's attic.

Balsamic vinegar is manufactured from the juice of white grapes (typically, trebbiano grapes) boiled down to approximately 50% of its original volume to create a concentrated must, which is then fermented with a slow aging process which concentrates the flavours. The flavour intensifies over decades, with the vinegar being kept in fine wooden casks, becoming sweet, viscous and very concentrated. During this period, a proportion evaporates: it is said that this is the "the angels' share," a term also used in the production of scotch whisky, wine, and other alcoholic beverages. Image File history File links Question_book-3. ... Download high resolution version (1632x1232, 754 KB)Barrels of balsamic vinegar File links The following pages link to this file: Balsamic vinegar Categories: GFDL images | NowCommons ... Download high resolution version (1632x1232, 754 KB)Barrels of balsamic vinegar File links The following pages link to this file: Balsamic vinegar Categories: GFDL images | NowCommons ... Trebbiano is a white grape used to make white wine, and the most common white grape variety in Italy, accounting for around a third of all Italys white wine. ... For must meaning compulsion, see wikt:must. ... Scotch whisky is whisky made in Scotland. ... For other uses, see Wine (disambiguation). ...

The finest and most traditional balsamic vinegar is very labour-intensive to produce; while it ages and gradually evaporates, the liquid is transferred to successively smaller casks made of different woods, absorbing the flavour characteristics of each wood and becoming more concentrated with each transfer. Oak, mulberry, chestnut, cherry, juniper, ash, and acacia are the most commonly used woods.[1] Some older balsamic vinegar is added to the must to create a more complex and intricate taste, and to enhance acidity. At the end of the process, the vinegar is taken from the smallest cask: each cask is filled with the contents of the preceding (larger) cask and the cooked must is added to the largest cask. For other uses, see Wood (disambiguation). ... Species See List of Quercus species The term oak can be used as part of the common name of any of several hundred species of trees and shrubs in the genus Quercus (from Latin oak tree), which are listed in the List of Quercus species, and some related genera, notably... For other uses, see Mulberry (disambiguation). ... Species Castanea alnifolia - Bush Chinkapin* Castanea crenata - Japanese Chestnut Castanea dentata - American Chestnut Castanea henryi - Henrys Chestnut Castanea mollissima - Chinese Chestnut Castanea ozarkensis - Ozark Chinkapin Castanea pumila - Allegheny Chinkapin Castanea sativa - Sweet Chestnut Castanea seguinii - Seguins Chestnut * treated as a synonym of by many authors Chestnut is a... For other uses, see Cherry (disambiguation). ... Species Junipers are coniferous plants in the genus Juniperus of the cypress family Cupressaceae. ... Species See text European Ash in flower Narrow-leafed Ash (Fraxinus angustifolia) shoot with leaves Closeup of European Ash seeds 19th century illustration of Manna Ash (Fraxinus ornus) An ash can be any of four different tree genera from four very distinct families (see end of page for disambiguation), but... For other uses, see Acacia (disambiguation). ...

Balsamic vinegar of the highest quality, labeled tradizionale, usually sells for very high prices; a small (100 ml) bottle can cost between US $100 and $400. Most producers, however, do not employ all seven of the aforementioned woods in the aging process; some employ only oak. Several mass-produced, less expensive varieties may not be aged in wood at all, being nothing more than ordinary wine vinegar with coloring and added sugar. Legally, according to the rules of the Consortium, these are not allowed to be called "traditional". However, since the wording "Aceto Balsamico di Modena" failed to achieve the IGP status ("Protected Geografical Indication" or "Indicazione Geografica Protetta"), products marketed by that name may not have even been produced in Modena. Only the products named "Aceto balsamico tradizionale di Modena" and "Aceto balsamico tradizionale di Reggio Emilia" are protected by the European PDO (Protected designation of origin) label ^{[3] [4]}

References

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External links

• Homepage of the "Modena Consorzio"
• Homepage of the "Reggio Emilia Consorzio"