December 11, 2011

Balsamic vinegar


One of my first field trips on my culinary discovery led me to another world famous product from this area  "the black gold from Modena" - Balsamico vinegar.

Balsamic vinegar production in Modena

The process of producing sounds simple: take 100 l of grape juice, cook it for 12 hours, put it in barrels and wait 25 years - you'll get 2 l Aceto.

Of course it's not that  simple: the grapes have to be Trebbiano and Lambrusco from your vineyard (which has to be in Modena), only the first juice is allowed to take. You should have a big house with a big attic for the barrels (also in Modena) and you need the knowledge of 340 years of experience to produce, what the Duke  of Este invented accidently and called  "Balsamico" - they used it like a medicin for digestion, later is was given to kings and the pope as a present and it got famous in the royal families in Europe.

1 comment:

Maribelous said...

You are right, it sounds easy but its not. Always better to buy from an expert!! :) Lovely article.
Maribel