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WHEN VINEGAR IS BALSAMIC
Rome - (Adnkronos Multimedia) - its taste is unique, and it is the result of a tradition over a millennium old: the balsamic vinegars of Modena are surely one of Italy's most characteristic food products, and one of the most imitated and appreciated by gourmets the world over. Its origins are, as for most of the best Italian food specialities, lost in legend. It is said that since Roman times, in the hills around Modena there was already the custom of macerating grape must to transform it into a thick dark vinegar, at once acidic and sweet. It was however during the long and happy reign of the Estense family that, between Modena and Reggio Emilia, this ancient tradition began to be transformed into an industrial reality.
Today, the balsamic vinegars of Modena, distinguished on the basis of the methods used for their production, are a business of primary importance. Around 50 million litres of industrial balsamic vinegar are produced every year, using techniques that ensure its original and unique characteristics, with a turnover of € 250 million, 70% of which on international markets. And only a few thousand litres of the highly precious and expensive traditional vinegar, produced with ancient techniques and refined for many years in oak casks, accounting for a turnover of € 4 million, a third on foreign markets. There are various consortia protecting the quality of the product (www.balsamico.it. www.consorziobalsamico.it, www.acetobalsamicoprodcertificata.it, www.balsamicotradizionale.it), depending on the production procedure used, but their common single aim is to defend this extraordinary heritage of taste and tradition, which is soon to be awarded European PGI (Protected Geographical Indication) status.
This is an extremely complex certification process, due to the many various production procedures, reflecting the various techniques which for centuries have been used to make this extraordinary product. In Modena there have always existed various types of vinegar obtained with grape must, made according to a variety of recipes, and using various methods of preparation and ageing. The term Balsamic was used for the first time in the registers of the ducal inventories of the Reggia Estense in Modena in 1747 and the name itself probably was due to the therapeutic use to which it was originally put. When Italy was united, balsamic vinegar moved forth from the secret ritual confines of the "vinegar workshops", and became increasingly popular. There were, and still are today, various recipes and formulas for its production, which in 1839 were to certain extent codified by a famous botanist, Giorgio Gallesio, the first to list its production methods, distinguishing those obtained from cooked must alone and those from fermented must and wine.
In general, the balsamic vinegar of Modena is the result of the acidic and alcoholic fermentation of grape must. To give the product its typical aromatic characteristics, the musts, carefully selected for quality, are fermented and concentrated also using direct heat, processed and matured in oak casks, in some cases for more than three years. This is an extraordinary condiment, which can be used with every sort of dish: from starters, pasta and meat, to sweets, cheeses and vegetables, and even with fruit and ice cream. This, then, is a unique and inimitable ingredient, with a fragrant aftertaste and the harmonious and pleasant acidity loved the world over, so much so that there are now a wide range of international recipes which use balsamic vinegar.
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