Balsamic vinegar: what is it, use and recipes

Italian balsamic vinegar is known worldwide for its unusual sweet taste, pleasant aroma and dark color. The famous balsamic goes well with meat, poultry, vegetables, fruits and ice cream. We recommend using the suggested tips for choosing vinegar, as well as its use in cooking and cosmetology.

Balsamic vinegar - what is it?

Sweet and sour sauce based on grape must was created in the Italian city of Modena. The history of vinegar has been around for 10 centuries. Mention of him is found in various historical documents from 1046. The abbreviated name of vinegar is “balsamic”.

In ancient times, there were many ways to obtain this spice, each family of Italian aristocrats created their own recipe. Traditional balsamic vinegar has a dark color, a thick consistency and a sweet and sour fruity taste. Cheap analogues are made from red wine according to simplified technology, without ripening in wooden barrels. Such products differ in composition and taste characteristics from the "true" balsamic.

Composition and useful properties

The starting material, raw material, is juice obtained from fresh grapes. Only 5 - 7 varieties of sun berries are allowed to be used in the production of balsamic vinegar. The chemical composition and taste of grapes (and, accordingly, wine and vinegar) is influenced by variety, climate, weather conditions and many other features.

 

To date, two types of balsamic vinegar are certified.Traditional is made from the wort of certain grape varieties in two Italian provinces. The juice is condensed, fresh wine and already prepared balsamic are added to it. Fermentation takes place for at least 12 years in barrels of oak, ash, cherry, chestnut or mulberry. During this time, the water evaporates, the liquid becomes more concentrated and acquires its own unique taste.

The composition of balsamic vinegar (per 100 g of product):

• water - 76.5 ml;
• protein - 0.5 g;
• carbohydrates - 17 g;
• pectin;
• polyphenols;
• acetic and pyruvic acids;
• macro- and microelements - potassium, sodium, phosphorus, magnesium, iron, copper, zinc, manganese.

Traditional balsamic vinegar is produced by small enterprises. Balsamic of the highest quality, long ripening period is sold at a price of 50 euros or more for 100 milliliters.

The second certified type of balsamic vinegar is Modensky. It is made from condensed grape must (juice), vinegar and caramel. This relatively inexpensive balsamic matures in 2 months.

The use of balsamic vinegar, used as a spice and folk remedy, is to supply the body with biologically active substances. They are involved in the creation of enzymes, hormones and vitamins, necessary for good digestion, normal metabolism and the formation of immunity.

Mass production of cheap vinegar called “balsamic” is organized around the world.

Recipes and compositions are significantly different, but such products always contain additives:

• starch;
• corn syrup;
• fructose and glucose;
• pectin and other components.

Cheap balsamic does not undergo fermentation in wooden barrels and can be used as a spice, but not a therapeutic agent.

How to replace balsamic vinegar?

Balsamic, made according to old recipes, has a sweet and sour taste. Replace an expensive product in cooking recipes with wine vinegar diluted with water. To add a sweet taste, add a little sugar.

Cooking Vinegar at Home

Balsamic is independently prepared from red wine and grape (or other) berry juices. There is a recipe for a substitute for balsamic vinegar from raspberries, which, like grapes, contain wild yeast.

1. Do not wash raspberries, grind with sugar and leave for fermentation in a warm, dark place. Here, the process of alcoholic fermentation lasts for a month.
2. Then the resulting mass is poured with red wine vinegar and insisted for another month. In this case, vinegar fermentation takes place: bacteria decompose alcohol to form acids.
3. The finished product is filtered and poured into a bottle.

As a result of such manipulations, vinegar is obtained that resembles in taste the aged balsamic (which has not undergone prolonged fermentation in wooden barrels).

Homemade Balsamic Vinegar Recipe

It is required:

• red tart wine - 0.7 l;
• natural grape juice from red varieties of berries - 0.5 l .;
• wine vinegar - 100 ml;
• water - 300 ml;
• honey - 1 tbsp. l

Cooking:

1. Wine and water are mixed in a glass container (jar) and vinegar is added.
2. The neck of the jar is covered with gauze folded several times, fixed with an elastic band and left to ferment in a warm place (from 25 to 30 ° C) for 2 weeks.
3. After the appearance of a characteristic odor, the composition is insisted until the liquid becomes transparent.
4. Vinegar is filtered and bottled, where the final ripening takes place within 2 months.
5. Grape juice with honey is heated on low heat, boiled to reduce the volume of liquid by 2 times.
6. In another dish, boiled vinegar is also boiled until the volume is halved.
7. The two liquids are mixed and brought to a boil over low heat.
8. Ready homemade balsamic vinegar is poured into small bottles

A faster way to get the product in question is from purchased high-quality wine vinegar.

1. A 0.5 bottle will require 1 liter of natural currant or raspberry juice and 1 tbsp. l honey.
2. The juice is heated over low heat, wine vinegar is added and the liquid is continued to heat until its volume decreases by a third.
3. Add honey and boil again.
4. Then cool and pour vinegar into small bottles.

Application in traditional medicine and cosmetology

According to historical sources, from the moment it appeared in the homes of Italian aristocrats, a balsamic bite has been used as a remedy. During the plague epidemic of 1503, balsamic was used externally for disinfection, inside - to enhance the health of patients. Nowadays, it is used to enhance immunity.

Clinical trials of the effect of balsamic vinegar on patients have not been carried out, therefore, all recipes using the drug relate to alternative medicine. Since ancient times, the glory of an unusually strong healing agent, which normalizes metabolism and promotes rapid recovery, has entrenched itself in a fragrant liquid. Vinegar can be used externally and locally: for the treatment of wounds, cuts, abrasions, rinsing the oral cavity.

Swedish researchers tested the effects of several foods on the body and found that balsamic helps with inflammatory processes, improves memory and lowers cholesterol. Up to 1 tsp can be consumed daily. healing fluid.

Spice is rich in components that slow down the aging process of the skin and the entire body. These are polyphenols, tannins and anthocyanins.

Balsamic vinegar, used as a cosmetic lotion, helps to improve complexion, cleanse and refresh the epidermis. By adding aromatic liquid to the rinse water after shampooing, hair loss is reduced.

Cooking Balsamic Vinegar: Recipes

The use of balsamic is typical for Italian cuisine. It is suitable for soups, sauces and marinades. Spice gives a special flavor to Italian cheeses. Add balsamic vinegar to prepared dishes, which are served in a warm form, at the rate of 1 tsp. for 1 serving. This allows you to preserve the rich aroma and taste of both products and balsamic.

Balsamic Vinegar Salad

Ingredients:

• shrimp - 200 g;
• soft cheese or feta cheese - 100 g;
• cherry tomatoes - 4 - 5 pcs.;
• salad - 3 sheets;
• balsamic vinegar, salt, olive oil - to taste.

Grind and mix all the components, seasoned with vinegar and olive oil.

"Young" vinegar is more acidic, and therefore better combined with raw vegetables in salads. A more mature product reveals its taste in cooked dishes. It is advisable to dose the spice so as not to drown out the taste of the remaining products.

You can serve traditional balsamic vinegar as an aperitif before dinner. Balsamic cream and other delicious desserts are also prepared.

What is the difference between wine and balsamic vinegar?

Natural wine vinegar is obtained from grape wine. After alcoholic fermentation, bacteria are added that are responsible for acetic acid fermentation. They turn all alcohol into acids. You can recycle any alcohol-containing raw materials, if you add "vinegar mother" - a special culture of bacteria. Cheap table vinegar and essence are produced using chemical reactions from carbon raw materials. Such a product contains only synthetic acetic acid and water.

So what is the difference between wine vinegar and balsamic? Traditional balsamic vinegar is a high-quality product created according to old recipes. The most valuable species are produced from fermented grape must of white grapes of certain varieties. The product does not contain preservatives or dyes.

In total, about 10 thousand liters of traditional balsamic vinegar appear on the market annually. It is called “precious”, “noble”, and the cost reaches 3,000 euros per 1 liter.

Relatively cheap species, compared to traditional balsamic vinegar, are produced in two provinces in Italy. Extract of this vinegar - 12 (red), 18 (silver), 25 years (gold label).Balsamic varieties acquire an individual taste when infused in barrels, depending on the type of wood.

Unlike cheap synthetic wine or apple cider vinegar, balsamic vinegar has a limited shelf life after uncorking a barrel or bottle. It is approximately 5 years old. If the dishes are not closed, then the aromatic liquid "exhales". If stored incorrectly, mold appears - such vinegar cannot be used.

Contraindications and possible harm

The use of balsamic vinegar is not recommended in all cases of individual intolerance to its components. This is the only contraindication, there are no others.

However, it should be remembered that a completely natural composition is a hallmark of high-quality and expensive balsamic vinegar. Dyes, thickeners, and flavorings are found in mass-produced products. An individual intolerance is formed in relation to both natural and synthetic components, but the latter are much more likely to cause allergic reactions.

Possible harm from the use of balsamic vinegar is its rich composition. Such products should be used with caution by people suffering from diseases of the stomach and pancreas.