A mild disagreement with one of South Africa’s great chefs inspired this article – well, that and the fact that my female ego needed soothing and since we all know that women are always right and have to have the last word because they know better, I felt duty bound to supply you with a little background information on something many of us use almost on a daily basis: balsamic vinegar. There are few things that can beat the taste of a few drops of traditional balsamic vinegar on top of freshly cut chunks of Parmigiano Reggiano or even on

steak, fish, fresh fruit (strawberries and pears are legendary) or vanilla ice cream!  The real thing is said to have excellent digestive properties and in some upmarket Italian restaurants a tiny glass is served at the end of a meal – whether it really has digestive properties or not is really immaterial because it’s so delicious and ends a meal so well that it doesn’t matter. The first balsamic vinegar was made from a reduction of cooked white Trebbiano grape juice and wasn’t really a vinegar as we know it today – today it’s still made in Modena where it’s been made since the Middle Ages. We hear about it for the first time in a 1046 document that describes it’s production and in the 12th century Donizo of Canossa, a monk, referred to it in a poem about it even though he didn’t mention it by name.

BALSAMIC MASCARPONE AND PEPPER DESSERT

I tasted strawberries with pepper for the first time 33 years ago in Germany and some years later, in Italy, discovered the joy of adding mascarpone and balsamic vinegar to make this pretty pink quick and dessert.

Ingredients

• 250g fresh strawberries, hulled – keep a few whole ones for decoration
• 250g fresh mascarpone
• 1tsp black peppercorns
• 100g caster sugar
• 2 tsp balsamic vinegar – the real thing or, at a push, condiment grade
• 1tbsp vanilla extract
• 1tbsp vodka
• 200ml ordinary whipping cream
• 1 tsp grenadine (optional –it’s only there for the colouring)

Method

• Put the whole strawberries in a bowl and set aside before crushing the rest of them with a potato masher (or a fork), adding the grenadine (if you are using it) and mixing to combine – set aside.
• Put the peppercorns in a pot and heat them until they crack and are lightly toasted – set aside to cool and crush coarsely in a mortar and pestle.
• Heat on a stove for a few minutes, until the corns crack and roast. Allow to cool and then coarsely crush using a mortar and pestle.
• Now combine the caster sugar and the balsamic vinegar with the vodka before you add the cream –mix well and beat in the mascarpone.
• Put some of the crushed strawberries into the bottom of whichever glasses you’d like to use for dessert, spoon in some  of the cream mixture and sprinkle with the peppercorns.
• Repeat the process until you have filled your glasses, finishing with a light sprinkling of pepper and then garnish with whole strawberries.

There are two bodies that control and protect the designation of origin and there are two certificates, the European Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) and it’s Italian sister and the European Protected Geographical Indication (PGI)  and even though they are quite different, we referred to all the controlling bodies as the PDO guys for ease of reference. ADD LINK

IT’S ALL IN THE NAME

• Aceto balsamico di Modena – is not the real thing but a cheaper imitation that’s widely available throughout the world and can be found on many a restaurant table with the obligatory small bottle of mediocre olive oil.
• Aceto balsamico tradizionale di modena and aceto balsamico tradizionale di Reggio Emilia – are both protected by the Italian Denominazione di Origine Protetta and the European Union’s Protected Designation of Origin and are both made in the traditional way according to very strict regulations – in Italy, a country where food is almost more important than the country’s national debt crisis, they are particularly difficult about that kind of thing.

TYPES OF VINEGAR

• The real thing – that is, the authentic traditional artisan balsamic vinegar is the only kind that may be called Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale and hell hath no fury than the Italian DOP scorned which is why you can be pretty sure that you’re getting it when a bottle sports this name (however, check the seal on the bottle).
• The cheap and nasty balsamic vinegar imitations that too many of us believe to be the real thing are, as a matter of fact, simply commercial grade balsamic vinegars produced on a massvie industrial scale.
• The other kind that are sold in delis for a bit more (some times much more) than the retail store vinegars are known as “condiment” grade products and are a mixture of the above two.

THE REAL THING

Real traditional balsamic vinegars are ONLY made in Reggio Emilia and in Modena and are made from a reduction of pressed Trebbiano and Lambrusco grapes that are turned into something called called mosto cotto and aged for no less than 12 years in a battery of seven barrels (going from large to small). All these barrels are made from different kinds of wood – in other words, no one barrel is made from the same wood as the other – with the end result:  a rich, thinck, shiny, velvety, smooth dark brown syrup with a sweet sour, woody taste that’s simply heavenly. Like wine, the vinegars are aged and when you buy a bottle in Reggio Emilia, look for the colour of the label.

REGGIO EMILIA

• Red – minimum of 12 years;
• Silver label – minimum of 18 years;
• Gold label – 25 years or more;

MODENA

In order to differentiate between the different vinegars, Modena uses a different method to indicate the age of the vinegars, which is why they colour their tops:

• Cream – least 12 years;
• Gold with the word “extravecchio” printed on it – 25 years or more;

CONDIMENTO GRADE BALSAMIC VINEGAR

This vinegar is sold under the names condimento balsamico, salsa balsamica, riscopriti balsamico or salsa di mosto cotto and can be made in a number of ways:

• In the traditional way in Modena or Reggio Emilia without the supervision and approval of the POD guys:
• By the producers of the traditional balsamic vinegars but aged for much less than 12 years without the supervision and approval of the POD guys;
• In the same way as the tradizionale vinegars but by producers outside of Modena and Reggio Emilia and without the supervision and approval of the POD guys;
• From ordinary balsamic vinegar with reduced mosto cotto in different proportions and with no aging whatsoever – the cheapest kind;

ACETO BALSAMICO

These are cheap and nasty imitations that are nothing like the real thing – they’re made from ordinary wine vinegar with colouring, caramel and thickeners to fool the customer into believing they’re selling the real thing. They are neither aged nor exclusive and thousands and thousands of litres are produced every single day.

HOW IT’S MADE

The traditional kind, as mentioned above, is made from newly harvested Trebbiano or Lumbrusco grapes that are boiled down to about 30% of the original volume and turned into a must (mosto cotto) and is very concentrated. This is then fermented very slowly over a long period of time in order to concentrate the flavours – over the years it intensifies and as it moves from barrel to barrel, it becomes increasingly sweet, complex (with the various types of woods influencing the flavour to some extent) and very concentrated because part of it simply evaporates. It remains in the barrels for 12 years at which point a small part of is taken from the smallest barrel that is, then, topped up with vinegar from the preceding barrel.  The freshly made vinegar is poured into the largest barrel and each year this topping up process will go on – you get the picture?  The real thing is horrendously expensive with a 100ml bottle costing as little as US$150 or as much as $400 per bottle. The cheap and nasty, commercial grade vinegars are used in commercial salad dressings and related products.