Ingredient
Balsamic vinegar
Two quite different products share the name. Supermarket balsamic is wine vinegar with grape must and often caramel colouring; traditional balsamic from Modena is aged grape must alone, for a decade or more, and is used by the drop.
- Sourcing
- Check the label for grape must at or near the top of the ingredients. Anything listing caramel colour is a cheap imitation — fine for a marinade, wasted on a salad.
- Varieties
- Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena DOP, Balsamic Vinegar of Modena IGP, Balsamic glaze
- Quality cues
- Should coat the back of a spoon and taste sweet before it tastes sharp. Thin and simply acidic means it is mostly wine vinegar.
- Substitutions
- Red wine vinegar with a little honey, Sherry vinegar
- Storage
- Cool, dark cupboard, capped. It does not need refrigerating.
- Shelf life
- 3-5 years, improving rather than spoiling
Nutrition
Per 100 g
- Calories
- 88 kcal
- Protein
- 0.5 g
- Fat
- 0 g
- Carbs
- 17 g
- Fibre
- — g
- Sugars
- 14.9 g
- Sodium
- 23 mg
From USDA FoodData Central (#172241). Raw, edible portion.