About For years the people of Italy have enjoyed the unique taste of Balsamic Vinegar Dressing not only on their salads but desserts and side dishes. Ranging in prices from the hundreds to less expensive imitation that won't break your bank this dressing can be enjoyed by anyone wanting to add a taste of Italy to their food.
But what makes the taste so unique? The time and effort that goes into the creation of Balsamic Vinegar Dressing - Here we'll discuss the creation process along with some ideas on how to make your own and what to look out for when purchasing Balsamic Vinegar Dressing.
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When searching for balsamic vinegar dressings you might notice that while a reddish color is most common, there are also other colors. But what’s the difference and which one will go best with your dish? The other most common color that you will see when purchasing balsamic vinegars is a white balsamic vinegar. The reason that this vinegar is a different color is because it is created from white wine and prepared as well as aged differently than regular balsamic vinegar. Traditional balsamic vinegar is used with a red wine and put into a pan and cooked until it becomes very syrupy. When manufacturers create white balsamic vinegar they will blend the white grape “must” with white wine vinegar and cook it at a much lower temperature. The reason for this temperature difference is to avoid causing the dressing to become darker. Once the white balsamic vinegar is cooked and the correct texture and blend has reached, they will place the vinegar into large oak barrels or sometimes stainless steel.
So this is how white balsamic vinegar is created, and we know it looks different but what about the taste? If you were to do a taste comparison side by side between red vs white balsamic vinegar you would find that the darker vinegar has a more of a sweeter taste to it, and it is thicker with a more syrupy consistency. This thicker texture to the red balsamic vinegar is due to the higher temperature that it is cooked at. The longer you cook vinegar and the hotter the temperature the more evaporates leaving only heavy substances and thus a thicker feeling to it. The white balsamic vinegar when compared to the red will not be as sweet, will be more of a liquid (slightly more runny) and have a clean aftertaste. The difference in taste between these two vinegars isn’t as apparent as when you are tasting red vs white wine because of the lost taste in the cooking process so one couldn’t simply say “I prefer white wine over red wine so I would like white balsamic vinegar more than red”. When it comes down to it, for the most part the only reason one would use red or white balsamic vinegar dressing over the other is because of aesthetic reasons.
As for the cost of red and white balsamic vinegars, in general you will find that the red costs more. The reason for this is because it is much more time consuming and much more work must be done in order to get a red balsamic vinegar tasting correctly. Red balsamic vinegar must be placed into oak barrels which can be very expensive. Not only are they expensive but they can’t be used for the duration of the aging period which means in order for more red balsamic vinegar to be aged new barrels must be created. Each of the barrles needs to be sealed in a special way to ensure that too much air doesn’t affect the taste in the end. White balsamic vinegar doesn’t need to be placed in wood barrels (although most manufacturers choose to do so) and can be placed in stainless steel containers and even transfered to other containers during the aging process. Overall, white balsamic vinegar is easier to maintain, create, age, and get that great taste as compared to red balsamic vinegar and thus a higher cost.
However, you may find that some white vinegars cost more than red. This could be because of how long the white was aged as compared to the red. If you are purchasing a 50 year aged white balsamic vinegar compared to a 15 year aged red balsamic vinegar you may end up with the exact same price. Because the taste is so similar you will typically only see a preference by higher end restaurants and people who can afford to pay for the small differences.
If you enjoy eating food (and who doesn’t?) then you’ve probably heard of something called balsamic vinegar dressing. You may of even had it on your salad or in another food and enjoyed its taste but not known what you were eating, or maybe you just heard that the food had balsamic vinegar dressing in it but you don’t really know what it actually is. Balsamic vinegar dressing (also known as aceto balsamico) originates from Italy and has been enjoyed by their people for centuries dating all the way back to the middle ages. The word “balsamic” refers to resinous substances that are made from balsam. A balsam refers to several plant products that are known for their sweet or pleasant smell. Typically these plants are oily or somewhat sticky and contain high amounts of benzoic acid or sometimes cinnamic acid that you will often find in natural medicines that are made from plants. Only recently (relatively speaking) has this dressing started becoming popular in the United States. At its most basic level, Balsamic Vinegar dressing is not really a vinegar at all as we traditionally know it. Vinegar has a much more sour taste to it, and while Balsamic vinegar could be described as sour it definitely gives off an overall different feeling and taste on your tongue because it is made from a reduction of cooked grape juice.
Although you may have had what was labeled or called balsamic vinegar, if you had it in the United States at a restaurant that wasn’t very fancy (if you didn’t pay a lot of money for it) then most likely you had an inexpensive imitation of the product called Balsamic Vinegar of Modena. While most will prefer the taste of traditional and real Balsamic Vinegar, because of the high cost of it they are forced to only use it sparingly as a simple 100ml bottle can cost up to 400 dollars in the United States. If you’re thinking of making your own balsamic vinegar dressing be sure to do research and check out some of our articles before getting started, it may be a bigger and much more time consuming task then what you could imagine. Balsamic vinegar dressing is used not only on salads, but steaks, dips, sauces, vegetables, and even desserts. Many chefs will use this in very small amounts to add a very unique taste to their food that is subtle but can make all the difference in taste.
There are several different ways to create balsamic vinegar, some which will take only a few minutes and others that will take more than ten years! Because different chefs like the taste of different things, everyone uses different ingredients overall, but as a general rule there are certain aspects that will remain the same with all creations of balsamic vinegar.
Traditional Balsamic Vinegar Dressing
Traditional Balsamic Vinegar Dressing is made from juices of harvested white grapes which will usually ceom from trebbiano grapes. Trebbiano grapes doesn’t keep long but has a great fresh and fruity taste to it and makes more white wine in the world than any other grape variety. Once you have trebbiano grapes you will boil them down to much less of the original volume to create the “must” or the concentrate. You will need to boil the grapes down to around 30% of their original volume which will then allow you to ferment it with a slow ageing process that will really bring out the flavor and will continue to intensify the flavor over time. As with creating wine, the long you age your balsamic vinegar dressing the more distinguished the taste will be. Similar to wine, you will keep the balsamic vinegar in wodden casks which will seal in the flavor and allow it to become sweet and very concentrated over time. As with wine, a portion of the vinegar will evaporate, this is known as the “angels share” and is seen/experienced with most liquids that are aged over time such as whisky and wine.
To create true traditional balsamic vinegar it must be stored and kept for at least a period of twelve years. Typically the aging periods are twelve years, eighteen years, or twenty five years. The long the vinegar is aged the more distinguished the taste is going to be. A 12 year old aged balsamic vinegar may cost $100 dollars, where as a 25 year aged balsamic vinegar can cost anywhere from $400 to $800! This is because of the enormous time and storage that it takes in order to create this delicious dressing. At the end of each year while aging the balsamic vinegar dressing a small portion of the vinegar is withdrawn from each cask and then topped up with the vinegar of the preceding cask. This process is called solera or “in perpetuum” and takes much time and planning to be done just right but in the end is worth it for a fantastic and unique taste.
So you’re not up to the task of creating balsamic vinegar and aging it for up to one hundred years? Maybe you have a party tonight that you want to cook for and don’t have the time to age your vinegar. The good news is there’s a very good alternative to traditionally aged balsamic vinegar dressing that won’t leave you hard pressed for time and you can create in your own kitchen. The recipe for this is known as Faux Aged Balsamic Vinegar and can be made with very basic ingredients that you could find at your local super market. To create this, you will need to find commercial grade Balsamic Vinegar at the store. This will taste different than aged balsamic vinegar and served by itself while not bad, isn’t nearly as tastey as aged and with a little extra work you can get a decent imitation of it. Take a half cup of the commercial balsamic vinegar (relatively inexpensive) and two tablespoons of light brown sugar.
Now take a small pot and heat it up on your stove to about medium or high heat. Once the pot is heated up you will place the ½ cup of balsamic vinegar into the pan and heat it to reduce the vinegar for approximately seven to nine minutes until you can see it become visibly thicker. It’s a good idea to use a spoon to stir it around so you can get a good idea of how thick it is over all. It’s important that you don’t cook it too long or you will reduce the vinegar too much, but at the same time you have to cook it long enough or else it won’t have the right taste or consistency that you would want in a good dressing. Most dressings are not terribly runny like water, but at the same time aren’t thick like toothpaste, you want that happy medium when creating your Faux Aged Balsamic Vinegar Dressing. Once it has reached the correct consistency you will add two tablespoons of light brown sugar to the pot and then stir it for around two to three minutes thereafter. This will make approximately ¼ of a cup. The most important part of this is to watch the consistency of the dressing as it heats..if it becomes thickened before nine minutes then go and add the brown sugar immediately. The more you create of this Faux Aged Balsamic Vinegar the better you will get at it. Don’t be afraid to play around with different timings and different ingredients to get the taste you want. It’s also a good idea to keep a bottle of traditional Aged Balsamic Vinegar dressing so that you can compare the tastes of the two. This will help you in creating the closest taste that you can get to the real stuff.
If you are looking for the genuine, real deal aged balsamic vinegar dressing that comes straight out of the Modena and Reggio Regions then you may find some difficulty in doing so. The problem is that companies definition of true Aged balsamic vinegar is different than what you might be expecting to find. Maybe they have aged it, but for how long and how can you be sure that it was aged properly? Would you even be able to tell the difference between balsamic vinegar that is aged five years or balsamic vinegar that is aged 25?
Certainly, as with most products, there are people out there trying to get your money by giving you cheap knock off imitations but charging you only a little less than full price so you feel like you’re getting a good deal. As a general rule you want to stay away from unreputable companies or “ma and pa” shops that are claiming to sell authentic true aged balsamic vinegar dressing. The truth of the matter is that you just don’t know what you’re getting and when it comes to pricey items that need to be created in a very specific way then you want to take whatever measures you can in order to be sure you’re not getting ripped off.
Reputable balsamic vinegar products are Acetaia Malpighi, Giuseppe Giusti, and Avanti Savoia. There are others but these are some of the main items that you can be sure you’re getting what it says. These can be purchased online and as with anything precautions should also be taken from who you buy it from. Only buy from major websites that look to be reputable and sell a lot of products. It’s also a good idea to shop from websites that have reviews so that you can see what other people say about it. While it’s unlikely that a place would take an authentic bottle of balscamic vinegar dressing and put a bad product in it could happen and wouldn’t be very difficult to do. Certificates of Authenticity on Balsamic Vinegar Some balsamic vinegar dressing products have an authenticity seal on it that will supposedly prove that it has been aged properly and that the product you are purchasing is real and authentic. While this does make a person feel good, these seals are not so official after all and don’t hold much ground. Any company can create a seal of approval for any product, but unless it’s from something like the USDA for example it really doesn’t mean much. So while a seal of approval may make you feel better about the vinegar you’re purchasing, don’t immediately believe that it’s the real deal as this could be faked and used to deceive you just as easily (if not easier) than creating a five dollar bottle of faux balsamic vinegar that you could have made in your kitchen instead of paying $100 for it.
When looking for authentic balsamic vinegar dressing products be sure to shop around and do your research. It’s also a good idea to talk to friends who may have used a good product before. Ask to taste a teaspoon of it; if you enjoy the taste then purchase where they bought from. You can also ask your favorite restaurant where they purchase their balsamic vinegar dressing as most likely they have done their research already and are receiving good authentic products. Good luck!
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