This exquisite product is nothingone as a type of vinegar. Balsamic vinegar is made from white varieties characterized by high sugar content. After evaporation and fermentation, boiled syrup is placed in wooden barrels, in which they are kept for an average of 12 years. At the same time, 10% of the volume evaporates annually; as a result, no more than 15 liters of the finished product are obtained from 100 liters of the initial composition. This explains the high price of balsamic vinegar, today it is considered one of the most expensive products in the world. 100 grams of balsamic vinegar costs at least 100 euros.
Balsamic vinegar has at least1000 years of history. About him was known in the first century of our era. Italy is considered its birthplace, the best views of this vinegar are still produced in the vicinity of Modena today. And, of course, this is not the product to which we are accustomed. We produce vinegar in food plants from various acetates, or using the method of dry distillation of wood. Wine vinegar is made in a more natural way (microbiological), it is produced as a result of fermentation of wine.
Balsamic vinegar is different from the usual.wine by preparing it from grape mash - pressed juice infused on the skin, boiled down to 30% of the original volume, which is also called sour wine.
В провинциях Реджио Эмилия и Модена существуют strict standards for the production of the product. The producers are united in a consortium, which has assigned the abbreviation A.B.T.M. to traditional vinegar. Outside Italy, the product is produced only in Greece, in some monasteries. The method of cooking it here is somewhat simplified, which allows to reduce the price and use the product more widely.
Product properties
Nowadays it’s hard to imagine a restaurant withMediterranean cuisine, which would not use in the preparation of balsamic vinegar. The benefits of this product are obvious. After all, originally balsamic was used precisely for medical purposes. Its unique anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties were used to treat angina, as an elixir for loss of strength, and vinegar was used externally in the treatment of purulent wounds and cuts. It contains vitamins C, A and B, as well as polyphenols, which are powerful antioxidants and are capable of preventing cancer and heart and blood vessel diseases.
Кроме того, компоненты, входящие в состав balsamic effectively inhibits the growth of pathogenic flora. The natural product also contains acetic, pyruvic acids and pectins, which are necessary for normalizing the microflora of the digestive tract. However, you can take the product only in minimal doses. It is widely used in the manufacture of cosmetic products. Due to the presence of anthocyanins, tannins and polyphenols, balsamic can significantly slow down the aging process of skin cells. Creams based on it, as a rule, are quite expensive. Include it in the composition of anti-hair loss, as well as anti-cellulite creams.
Dishes with balsamic vinegar
This balsamic is a thick anddark-colored sauce with a specific sweet aroma. The product has found the greatest application in cooking, due to its ability to impart a truly royal taste to any dish. It is used literally drop by drop, it perfectly emphasizes the taste of cheese and meat, in Italy balsamic vinegar is added to desserts, soups, salads and even omelets. And, of course, balsamic is part of the majority of Italian seasonings.
In order to understand how this product is able to transform the taste of the simplest products, you should try to prepare simple dishes with it.
Bread Sauce
Ingredients: 2 slices of bread, toasted in a toaster, salt, a teaspoon of mustard (not sharp), a teaspoon of balsamic with thyme honey, 3 tbsp. spoons of olive oil.
The bread slices are heated in a toaster, the other components are mixed in the outlet. Dip the bread in the resulting sauce and serve it.
Quick salad
Ingredients: 10 g Parmesan cheese, cherry tomatoes - 4 pieces, a glass of lettuce leaves, a teaspoon of balsamic vinegar, 3 tablespoons of olive oil, pepper and salt - to taste.
Chop lettuce leaves, add chopped tomatoes, balsamic and olive oil, mix, season with salt, pepper to taste.
Strawberry Balsamic Vinegar
Need: balsamic, mint, 50 g of powdered sugar, 300 g of strawberries.
Berries clean, wash and dry, cut into4 pieces along each. Then put strawberries in a salad bowl, powdered with powder, you can decorate with mint leaves, sprinkle with balsamic vinegar and mix.
