Although Balsamic Vinegar is quiet popular today, those found in common kitchens are actually commercially produced substitute
(although acceptable) to the authentic aceto balsamico. Extreme care and effort are involved in making true balsamico, easily identified by its traditional bottle shape, official label, and even it's price. This "aceto balsamico tradizionale" can be certified only by "master tasters" of the Consorzio L' Aceto Balsamico nella Tradizione in Modena.
Aceto
balsamico undergoes a lengthy and loving process
of fermentation. The diligent process begins with the
unfermented juice of Trebbiano grapes.
The must of the boiled juice is then mixed with a " mother " vinegar into wood barrels. These barrels of different size and flavors ( usually cherry, oak, juniper, mulberry, chestnut ) are then stored in lofts to ferment. The water slowly evaporates condensing the aceto to a thicker, oil-like substance.
As the balsamico
ages it is transferred to smaller and smaller barrels, a
skill in itself, often attained through well-kept family
secrets. The entire process can take from twenty to one
hundred years. What emerges is a dark brown liquid with
a fragrant, perfectly proportioned sweet and sour flavor
used as a salad dressing ( only a few drops are needed
), as a tangy addition to risotto, in marinades for
roast meats, and
even in desserts as a
heavy topping over strawberries or blended into ice cream. On
special occasions, are even served as aperitifs ! More than just a
flavoring, aceto balsamico brings out the tastes and aromas of foods
that otherwise are to subtle to notice.
Modenese Families continue to produce their own aceto, using methods that date back centuries ago. The flavored barrels are placed in family attics allowing the balsamico to age for up to hundred years. Only an attic can provide the ideal conditions for making aceto balsamico : they are airy and well-ventilated but also quiet warm.
