Balsamic vinegar

Balsamic vinegar from Modena was already referred in texts dating from around 1000 AD. It originated in the homes of noblemen and it was usually the responsibility of the ladies of the house to look after the vinegar loft. When the daughters married their dowry was enhanced by a set of barrels for ageing the vinegar (the "batteria").
Balsamic vinegar pleases the most demanding palates and is much-sought-after by connoisseurs. Legend has it that one Tzar of Russia, having found it to be an aphrodisiac, regularly sent a messenger on horse-back to Modena for supplies.
Matilda of Canossa, the Countess of Tuscany, a great lover of the product, gave balsamic vinegar as a present to the personalities of the time, so setting off a publicity campaign before such a thing existed. Francis IV, Duke of Modena, controlled one of the most prestigious vinegar lofts ("acetaia") in Modena in the attic rooms of his palace (present headquarters of the military academy). The success of balsamic vinegar amongst royalty continues to this day with the traditional vinegar from Modena gracing many royal tables. Traditional balsamic vinegar from Modena D.O.P. (Denominazione d'Origine Protetta - in English: P.D.O. Protected Designation of Origin) differs from commercially mass-produced vinegars in its raw materials and the ageing process used. In order to distinguish between the two when making a purchase you need to remember that the mass-produced product uses the simple phrase "balsamic vinegar from Modena" whereas the natural product has the additional word "traditional".

Balsamic vinegar

How is the traditional balsamic vinegar produced?
The first, and most important stage is the boiling and reducing of the 'must' (the concentrated grape juice) obtained from the carefully selected grapes of the most suitable and typical vines of the region (the trebbiano and lambrusco vines). Copper cauldrons used to be used but nowadays the process takes place in steel vats kept at a constant and controlled temperature of between 75 and 80° C over a period of 24-36 hours; by the end of this period the must has reduced to about 50% of its original volume.
During the cooking process the very sweet and sticky must is constantly stirred and skimmed to remove any impurities that rise to the surface; it's imperative to prevent it from sticking or burning as this would ruin the basic ingredients from the outset. Once it is ready the cooked and reduced must rests for a year in demijohns (preferably made of glass) before being used for the top-up of the first barrel, the largest of the set, and the only one that will contain any of the new must.
Over the centuries the tradition has not changed: the set is still made up of 7-8 barrels of decreasing size and of different wood (cherry, oak, mulberry, chestnut, juniper, acacia and others, as chosen by the master 'ager'). Where possible the set of barrels is handed down from generation to generation: to obtain a good product in a relatively short space of time the barrels have to be old and already contain vinegar. In the unfortunate case of the set being new then nothing can be extracted for the first 8 to 10 years. This is the reason why the sets of barrels have always been looked upon as family heirlooms.
The capacity of the barrels varies from producer to producer, but generally speaking the largest can contain roughly 60 kg of must, while the smallest can contain about 5 kg of aged vinegar.
The decanting and topping up of the barrels takes place during the winter when the product is resting. In the heat of the summer the vinegar is active and the level of liquid in the barrels drops. The summer temperature has a big influence on the annual yield and its concentration. At the appropriate time a quantity of not more than half the aged vinegar from the smallest barrel can be drawn off. An amount of product sufficient to top up this smallest barrel is taken from the barrel next up in size. The top-ups continue from barrel to barrel until reaching the largest which is topped up with the cooked must.
As the vinegar is decanted in this way the vintage is 'diluted' each time and so it is difficult to accurately talk about its age except in approximate terms. For this reason the book of rules that the members of the standards protection association adhere to, forbids citing an exact vintage.

What does it go with?
The smell and taste of balsamic vinegar differ according to the number of years it has been aged.
The young vinegars are more tart and are mainly suitable in cooking and salads.
Duke Francis IV of Modena invented a famous sauce (la salsa ducale) based on balsamic vinegar to accompany 'zampone' (stuffed pig's trotter). Take 30 g of very mature parmesan cheese and the same quantity of a youngish vinegar, leave the mixture to melt in a bain-marie for about 5 minutes. The sauce looks like melted chocolate and must be used straight away on the steaming slices of zampone.
The extra-aged elixir (aged for at least 20 years) is creamy and intense. It is excellent when sipped from a teaspoon (one is sufficient for each dinner guest) half-way through the meal instead of a sorbet - it is almost like a digestive liqueur; a drop marries magnificently with a flake of extra-matured parmesan, or, for dessert, it can be poured onto a high-quality ice-cream.