 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Balsamic vinegar" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(January 2019) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
| Type | Condiment andsalad dressing |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | Italy |
| Region or state | Modena andReggio Emilia,Emilia-Romagna |
| Main ingredients | WhiteTrebbianogrape juice,Lambruscogrape must |
Balsamic vinegar (Italian:aceto balsamico) is a dark, concentrated, pungent, intensely flavouredvinegar made wholly or partially fromgrape must: freshly crushedgrape juice with all the skins, seeds, and stems.
TheItalian wordbalsamico (from Latinbalsamum, from Greekβάλσαμον,bálsamon) means 'balsam-like' in the sense of "restorative" or "curative"; cf. English 'balm'.[1] Ultimately from Ancient Hebrew-Phoenicianבשׂם (bāśām orbesem, IPA [baːˈɬaːm]), the name means 'perfume or spice', with the consonant sequence of the letter 'λ' and 'σ' deriving from Ancient Greek to pronounce the שׂ (ś) sound, sounding back then as[ɬ].[2][3][4][5][full citation needed][6]
The termbalsamico in "balsamic vinegar" originates from theLatin wordbalsamum and theGreek wordβάλσαμον, both conveying the idea of something "restorative" or "curative". The practice of cooking grapes can be traced back toancient Roman times, where it was valued both as a medicinal remedy and a sweetener or condiment in cooking. The story of balsamic vinegar began in the 11th century in the city ofModena; by 1046, it was already gaining a wider reputation. The future Holy Roman Emperor,King Henry III, requested Marquis Bonifacio of Canossa to craft a high quality vinegar in his castle. By the late 1200s, vinegar production flourished at the Este Court in Modena, with the termbalsamic first recorded in 1747 in the ledgers of theEste family cellars.[citation needed]
In the second half of the 19th century, the provinces of Emilia joined the newly-formedKingdom of Italy, and balsamic vinegar of Modena was promoted at national and international exhibitions. While aristocratic families cultivated a refined balsamic tradition, local peasant families began to blend it with wine vinegar, creating a lighter version for everyday use.[citation needed]
This practice eventually led to the creation of Balsamic Vinegar of Modena PGI and widespread distribution across the world. Historically, in the area ofModena andReggio, the vinegars produced in the houses were made more pleasant by flavouring them with herbs, liquorice, rosemary, roses, vanilla, or by producing them with different raw materials (trebbiano, moscato...) or procedures, creating over the centuries a widespread fame for "Modena-style vinegars".[7]
In 1747, in the registers of the cellars of the Ducal Palace of Modena, located inRubiera, the adjective "balsamic" appeared for the first time, to distinguish a particular type from the many others present in the palace.[8] In 1830 this definition was further refined, so that the vinegars present at the Court were divided into "balsamic", "semi-balsamic", "fine", and "common".[citation needed]
With the birth of the Italian state in 1860, the awakening of the markets gradually aroused more interest in balsamic vinegar, and considerable historical and bibliographical research was carried out on this product. At the end of the 19th century, the balsamic vinegar of Modena began to appear at exhibitions, creating great interest locally and internationally.[citation needed]
From a regulatory point of view, the first ministerial authorization to produce "balsamic vinegar of Modena" dates back to 1933. AfterWorld War II, the economic boom led some producers, such as Telesforo Fini and the Monari-Federzoni family, to market a different product under the name "balsamic vinegar", which was a mix with wine vinegar for daily use. This made balsamic vinegar common on Italian tables and began its spread to foreign countries.[9]
In 1965, further regulations on the use of the term "balsamic vinegar" were established, and the first production regulations for "balsamic vinegar of Modena" were created. In 1976, to distinguish traditional production methods from industrial ones, the term "natural" balsamic vinegar was adopted, later changed to "traditional" due to legislative requirements.[citation needed]
The termaceto balsamico is unregulated, but there are three protected types of balsamic vinegar:
Many products contain Aceto Balsamico di Modena IGP as an ingredient, such as glazes and other condiments.
| This sectiondoes notcite anysources. Please helpimprove this section byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged andremoved.(January 2025) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
_and_Reggio_Emilia_(left).jpg)
Only two consortia produce true traditional balsamic vinegar, that ofModena and neighbouringReggio Emilia. True balsamic vinegar is made from areduction of pressedTrebbiano andLambrusco grapes. The resulting thicksyrup, calledmosto cotto in Italian, is subsequentlyaged for a minimum of 12 years in a battery of several barrels of successively smaller sizes.
The casks are made of different woods such aschestnut,cherry,oak,mulberry,ash, andjuniper. True balsamic vinegar is rich, glossy, deep brown, and has a complex flavour that balances the natural sweet and sour elements of the cooked grape juice with hints of wood from the casks.
Reggio Emilia designates the different ages of their balsamic vinegar (aceto balsamico tradizionale di Reggio Emilia) by label colour. A red label means the vinegar has been aged for at least 12 years, a silver label that the vinegar has aged for at least 18 years, and a gold label designates that the vinegar has aged for 25 years or more.
Modena uses a different system to indicate the age of its balsamic vinegars (aceto balsamico tradizionale di Modena). A white-coloured cap means the vinegar has aged for at least 12 years and a gold cap bearing the designationextravecchio ('extra-old') shows the vinegar has aged for 25 years or more.
These commercial-grade products imitate the traditional product. The current standard is found as part of the register ofPGI productions, under the name Balsamic Vinegar of Modena (aceto balsamico di Modena). It was added to the PGI list in 2009.[10]
They are made of as little as 20% grape must (and not necessarily from Modena or Reggio Emilia), with the addition of wine vinegar (at least 10%), and caramel (at most 2%) to stabilize the color.[10] PGI status requires a minimum ageing period of two months in wooden barrels, rising to three years when labelled as invecchiato ('aged'). The standard mandates a number of acceptable cultivars (Lambrusco,Sangiovese,Trebbiano,Albana,Ancellotta,Fortana,Montuni) for the making grape must from. The must can either be cooked or concentrated some other way. Vinegar that has been aged for at least 10 years also needs to be included in the product, though there is no minimum amount prescribed.[10]
As the manufacturing process is highly industrialized, the output of a medium-sized producer may be hundreds of litres per day.
Condimento ('dressing') balsamic vinegars may be labeled ascondimento balsamico,salsa balsamica orsalsa di mosto cotto. For those products, there is a risk of creating confusion among consumers looking for the original Balsamic Vinegar of Modena PGI, the two different Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena PDO, and Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Reggio Emilia PDO.
Condimento balsamic vinegar may be made in any of the following ways:
As there are no official standards or labelling systems to designatecondimento balsamic vinegar, it can be hard to tell their quality based on the packaging alone.[11]
From a legal point of view, TBV is categorized as a "food condiment", while BVM is a "wine vinegar". BVM can be produced without a lengthy aging period, whereas TBV gains its particular features during a long aging period fixed by law at no less than 12 years. TBV is the only condiment in the world produced starting from cooked grape musts without the adding of other substances,[12] whereas BVM is a blend of concentrated grape musts, wine vinegars, andcaramel (optional).
| Traditional balsamic vinegar | Balsamic vinegar of Modena | Thickened balsamiccondimenti | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Production | |||
| Starting materials | Cooked must from grapes harvested in Modena or Reggio Emilia provinces of permitted vine cultivars. Must cannot be sulphitated. | Concentrated grape musts, wine vinegar and optional caramel (max 2%w/w) - the basis of vineyards ampelographic is imposed by law, but the permitted vines can grow outside the Modena province. Concentration can be done by cooking or another method. Must may be sulphitated, with a maximum amount of residual sulfite specified. | Commonly contains starting materials similar to BVM, with added thickeners such as modified or native starch, glucose/fructose syrup, pectins, guar gum, xanthan, carob seed, etc. |
| Making procedure | Alcoholic fermentation of sugars, acetic oxidation, aging period inside a set of wooden casks, refilling procedure throughout the years, annual withdrawal and bottling. The overall procedure is carried out on a small scale. | Mix of the starting materials, facultative maturation in an unspecified number of wooden containers, and bottling. The overall procedure is carried out on an industrial scale. | Mix of the starting materials and packaging. The procedure is carried out at industrial scale. |
| Legal aging | The residence time of the product inside the set of barrels is determined by the refilling and withdrawing procedure. The minimum aging time is no less than 12 years. | The minimum aging time is no less than 60 days. | No minimum limit for aging. |
| Distribution | |||
| Bottling | The product is sealed inside the patented 100 mL glass bottle | The product is sealed inside various types of bottles (minimum 250 mL of capacity) or single-dose plastic packages (maximum 25 mL) | The product is sealed inside various types of packages of different capacity |
| Pricing[13] | Ranging between 40 and 250 euros | Ranging between 2 and 40 euros | Ranging between 2 and 350 euros |
| Characteristics | |||
| Minimum density | TBVM 1.24 g/mL - TBVRE 1.20 g/mL The relatively high density is the result of the water evaporation during the long aging period. | 1.06 g/mL - Higher density values depend on the degree of grape must concentration. | Not required: Higher density values are possible as a function of recipes. |
| Minimum of total acidity | TBVM 4.5 g/100 g - TBVRE 5 g/100 g of acetic acid equivalent, the acetic acid is biologically produced in the early stages of making procedure, then it concentrates during aging. | 6 g/100 g of acetic acid equivalent. The acetic acid comes from both the starting ingredients or from aging (a wide range of must-to-vinegar ratios are admissible). | Not required |
| Colour | Dark brown, limpid and bright, color is determined by nonenzymatic browning reaction of sugars starting on grape must cooking stage and progressing during aging. | Dark brown, limpid and bright, brown colour can be enhanced by added caramel (E150d) | Dark brown, limpid and bright, brown colour can be enhanced by added caramel (E150d) |
| Viscosity | The viscosity of TBV is mainly affected by the amount of the high molecular weightmelanoidin, a heterogeneous class of biopolymers that form and accumulate during the ageing process.[14] | Viscosity is lower than TBV ones, although it can be enhanced by adding caramel. | The flow properties are very similar to the TBV ones, but they originate from the adding of thickeners. |
| Sensory evaluation | It is a prerequisite for their commercialization. Sensory panels are long-time, trained judges, but sensory procedures are not standardized, often leading to irreproducible scores.[15] | Sensory characteristics defined in standard. Evaluation procedure not specified. | Not required |
Note: there is no standard forcondimenti thickened to emulate TBV. As a result, the characteristics provided here are typical rather than required.
There are alsocondimenti that do not use the term balsamic and hence implying even less about their method of production. The more balsamic-like products may be made by a producer of the PGI and the PDO inside Modena and Reggio Emilia provinces using a method similar to the vinegars, but not falling into the definition of either the PDO/PGI and not under consortium supervision. Examples can include a premium vinegar made from pure grape must (not a PGI because wine vinegar is required in the PGI)[16] to so-called "white balsamic" (Condimento Bianco, made to have a similar taste with a lighter color).[17]
Furthermore, non-Italian producers may produce products made by the same method as the vinegars, not made under consortium supervision. No reference to the PDO/PGI can be made for those products, and they cannot use the geographical names Modena or Reggio Emilia. However, because they are made outside of Italy, they are free to use the term "balsamic vinegar".
Inside of the EU, Germany and Greece both have established productions of balsamic vinegars. As a result, they opposed the original application ofbalsamic vinegar of Modena IGP until it was clarified that they will still be allowed to use the term "balsamic vinegar".[18] Greece also tried unsuccessfully to obtain a geographic indication of their local balsamic vinegar after the acceptance of the IGP.[19] In 2019, the European Court of Justice confirmed the protection on the PGI does not extend to the individual words ofbalsamico andaceto. As a result, producers in these countries remain free to use the words, so long as the product does not deceive the customer as to the origin of the product when the name is taken as a whole.[20][21]
Traditional balsamic vinegar is produced from the juice of just-harvested white grapes, typically,Trebbiano grapes, boiled down to reach a minimum sugar concentration of 30% (brix) or more in themust, which is then fermented with a slow ageing process which further concentrates the flavours. The flavour intensifies over the years, with the vinegar being stored in wooden casks, becoming sweet, viscous, and very concentrated. During this period, a portion evaporates: it is said that this is the "angels' share", a term also used in the production ofbourbon whiskey,Scotch whisky,wine, and other alcoholic beverages.
None of the product may be withdrawn until the end of the minimum aging period of 12 years. At the end of the aging period (12, 18 or 25 years), a small portion is drawn from the smallest cask, and each cask is then topped up with the contents of the preceding (next larger) cask. Freshly reduced cooked must is added to the largest cask, and in every subsequent year, the drawing and topping up process is repeated.[22] This process where the product is distributed from the oldest cask and then refilled from the next oldest vintage cask is calledsolera orin perpetuum.
(10) It appears that Germany and Greece did not refer to the entire name, i.e. 'Aceto Balsamico di Modena' in their objections regarding the generic nature of the name proposed for registration, but only to some elements of it, namely the words 'aceto', 'balsamico' and 'aceto balsamico', or to translations thereof. However, protection is granted to the term 'Aceto Balsamico di Modena' as a whole. Individual non-geographical components of that term may be used, even jointly and also in translation, throughout the Community, provided the principles and rules applicable in the Community's legal order are respected.
Salad dressings | ||
|---|---|---|
| Condiments | .jpg) | |
| Types | ||
| Manufacturers | ||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
