• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Your Top Source of Filipino Recipes
About
Cooking Schools
Contact
Facebook
Instagram
Pinterest
YouTube

Panlasang Pinoy

Your Top Source of Filipino Recipes

  • New? Start Here
  • All Recipes
  • Course
    • Breakfast
    • Lunch
    • Appetizers
    • Dessert
    • Dinner
  • Ingredient
    • Chicken
    • Pork
    • Beef
    • Turkey
    • Vegetable
    • Fish
    • Rice
    • Egg
    • Tofu
    • Noodles
  • Type
    • Adobo
    • Bread
    • Fried Chicken
    • Sinigang
    • Kilawin
    • Ginataan
    • Kaldereta
Home Culinary Arts Ingredients

What is Balsamic Vinegar?

Balsamic vinegar is more than just another condiment. This is a very popular dressing for salads not just because of the pleasant flavor that it adds but also because it is much healthier than other dressings. Imagine, other dressings can easily ruin the nutritional value of one serving of salad because of the added calories,…

SharesFacebookPinTweet
By: Vanjo Merano Leave a Comment Updated: 8/31/18

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.

Balsamic vinegar is more than just another condiment. This is a very popular dressing for salads not just because of the pleasant flavor that it adds but also because it is much healthier than other dressings. Imagine, other dressings can easily ruin the nutritional value of one serving of salad because of the added calories, oil and other unhealthy ingredients. On the other hand, this type of vinegar will heighten the flavor of your salad while keeping it ideal even for people who are on a strict diet.

Contrary to the common misconception of other people, use of balsamic vinegar is not merely limited to salads. This is also a good addition to other dishes and recipes. Even professional chefs prefer to use this for their exquisite meat and chicken dishes. It easily makes the meat more tender and adds an interesting flavor. It is also perfect for fish and chips because of the rich taste that it adds.

The taste of this type of vinegar is slightly different from the typical vinegar that we use. It is also sour and tangy but it has a milder taste. As it touches the tongue it would not give a sharp and acidic taste.What is Balasamic Vinegar

When buying balsamic vinegar, you need to understand that there are two major typesโ€”commercial and traditional. Commercial ones are produced and manufactured in great volume by companies which use machineries to speed up the process. These also have great taste especially if you are able to find the brand that really suits your preferences. Take note that different manufacturers may also add slight variation to the flavor. On the other hand, traditional ones or the Balsamico Tradizional are made by doing the age-old process. These often cost much more expensive than the commercially produced ones, particularly because it has a more sumptuous taste. If you feel like splurging on the most authentic traditional one, look for a bottle that is made in Italy and labeled as Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena. The real deal is also approved by the Italian consortium.

In Italy the conventional way of doing balsamic vinegar starts with making the must or mosto. This comes from boiled grape juice. Freshly picked grapes have to be washed and squeezed. Then, the extract has to be boiled until the concentration level of sugar reaches up 1%.

The boiled extract will then be placed in wooden barrels called battaria. These are often made of chestnut, cherry, oak or ash. The type of wood used for the barrel will also affect the flavor. Makers of Balsamico Tradizional usually have six or more barrels which differ in capacity. They fill these barrels to the rim so that the sugar will be transformed to acid. The barrels are sealed with a cloth mesh to enable the liquid to evaporate and reduce.

For conventional method of making balsamic vinegar, it takes about 5 years before the first liter can be enjoyed. How come the authentic and traditional vinegar could cost almost like a vintage wine of bottle? It is because this takes about 12 years before bottling and selling. The more years it takes before it is sold, the more expensive it gets.

Vanjo Merano

Vanjo Merano is the creator of PanlasangPinoy.com. His goal is to introduce Filipino Food and Filipino Cuisine to the rest of the world. This blog was the first step that he took.

Read more...

Related Posts

  • What are the Ingredients of Worcestershire Sauce?
  • Vinegar Health Benefits
  • Culinary Arts Degrees
SharesFacebookPinTweet

Reader Interactions

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Have a question? Submit your question or comment below.

Recipe Rating




sidebar

bio

Welcome!

As a huge fan of Filipino food, it is my goal to teach people how to cook it using the simplest way possible. Prepare your taste buds for an ultimate showdown of delectable Filipino dishes! Read more…

Facebook
Instagram
Pinterest
YouTube

Reader Favorites

Chicken Adobo Panlasang Pinoy

Filipino Chicken Adobo Recipe

Leche Flan Recipe

kare kare beef tripe

Kare-Kare Recipe (Beef Tripe)

Pork Sinigang

Sinigang

Receive new recipes by email!

Seasonal

Beef Morcon Recipe

Arroz Valenciana

lechon belly roll recipe

Lechon Belly Roll

Christmas Macaroni Salad

How to Make Macaroni Salad for the Holidays

As Seen In:

good housekeeping
parents
serious eats
livestrong
kitchn
sheknows
Facebook
Instagram
Pinterest
YouTube
About
Meet Vanjo
New? Start Here
Browse Recipes
Explore
Ingredient 101
Philippines
Cooking Schools
Privacy Policy
Disclaimers
Contact
© 2025 Panlasang Pinoy
Site Credits
Designed by Melissa Rose Design Developed by Once Coupled
Back to Top
Back to Top