Discovering Ingredient Applications Can Be A Challenge – A Balsamic Adventure

By Alex Todd

This story begins with some treasured friends gifting a bottle of authentic Italian balsamic vinegar (or Aceto Balsamico de Modena, as they say) to me for Christmas.

I thought at that time that I didn’t like balsamic vinegar, having never tried the real stuff.  But I knew my wife loved it on her salads, so I offered it to her.

Then about four months later I received a second bottle from this same couple for my birthday.  I thought something must be special about this.  After, talking it over with my wife we agreed that the Chef in me needed to do some research on this item and its applications.

And so I did.  I wanted to find out how it was made and how it was used in Italy and in restaurants.  I watched lots of Youtube videos and learned a lot.  Turns out balsamic vinegar is the heart and soul of the people of Modena, Italy.  And, you can only get the real stuff from that specific region.

I was surprised that many of the videos referred to it as “black gold”.  You see, because producing the traditional version of this vinegar can take up to 12 or even 25 years, it becomes very valuable and its custodianship gets woven into the heritage of the family that produces it.

One video I watched explained how when a new child is born into a family in this region of Italy a new barrel of balsamic is made so that when the child reaches adulthood he has the finished product.

It becomes quite romantic.  And so it is with Italy…

That was the history, so now to the application.  The most traditional application I could find was drizzling it over aged parmesan cheese (or Parmigiano Reggiano, to get it straight).  It is also used in small amounts as a digestive aid.  But then… I went further.

I could not believe what I found.  Vinegar in chocolate? Balsamic vinegar on everything?

Are we kidding?  No, we are not – and thus my challenge was born.

If I really wanted to know how I could use this item in as many ways as possible, it was time to put it to the test.

I laid it out – one week of balsamic vinegar on everything I ate.  Everything – no excuses!

And here’s what it went on:

Plain Oatmeal – not exciting, but not horrible. I concluded there wasn’t enough to work with there.

Slice of Pepperoni Pizza – nice flavor.  But pizza, I figured, was kind of a given.

Pineapple Cheesecake – Okay. I honestly thought I was going to have to hold my nose for this one. I didn’t want to ruin this cheesecake, but a challenge was a challenge and it was only the first day.

Good news was this was fantastic!  I was amazed at how some drizzled balsamic could brighten the flavors.

Chocolate Brownie with Coffee Whipped Cream – I had my doubts. Vinegar and chocolate?  Really.  (Okay… let’s do this.)  Knocked it out of the park!  It pairs so well with both the chocolate and the coffee flavors. Incredible.

I made my wife try both this and the cheesecake above against her will, while telling me I was crazy, and she loved them!

Bacon Cheeseburger – Not bad. A nice variation on a classic.

Yogurt and Granola – This one was surprisingly good.  I’ve always loved the combo of yogurt and granola for breakfast, but had difficulty digesting it.  The balsamic handled the digestion issue – added bonus!

Chili Con Carne – Actually quite nice – balanced the spices with a bit of sweet and tang.

Roast Chicken – Flavorful.

Mashed Potatoes – Loved it!

White Chocolate Glazed Donut – The tangy flavor cut through the sweetness and made this more pleasant.

Pumpkin Pie with Chantilly Cream – As a true American, I love pumpkin pie and Chantilly Cream (whipped cream with vanilla paste blended in) is truly a treat. Do I really want to put vinegar on this?  I did. This one was the most drastic change.  It no longer tastes like pumpkin.  It tastes like spiced raisin custard – weird, but quite tasty.

Raisin Toast with Cream Cheese – Taste great, looks horrible. Something happens to the cream cheese when it reacts to the acid in the vinegar and it’s not pretty. So, I wouldn’t suggest serving this one.

Sandwiches – I did about 8 different combinations of meat, cheese and vegetable toppings and they were all good.  Particularly, if you have any trouble with a salami, add some of this vinegar and it’s a beautiful mouthful.

Pork Stroganoff – Very good for a variation of flavor. Ate this much faster than I ever have without.

Shortbread Cookies – No real benefit or worsening.

Orange Flavored Chocolate – In this case the chocolate itself was a bit overpowering and the vinegar couldn’t really compete.

Pieces of Sharp Cheddar – Tasty.

A “Keto” Bar – Strange. Things processed this much seemed to be too far away from real food to get any benefit.

Rice Chips with Queso Dip – Actually good. Didn’t think it would be.

Scrambled Eggs with Shredded Cheese – This was actually my biggest disappointment.  It just wasn’t my cup of tea. Sorry.

Beef Tacos – No effect.  The vinegar was lost in the taco seasoning.

Broccoli & Pasta with Olive Oil – Turned it into a pasta salad, pretty good.

Chili Roasted Pistacios – Unique flavor, not sure I will do that one again.

Breaded Chicken – Surprisingly bland.

Lentil Soup with Shredded Mozarella Cheese – Wonderful!  Definitely one of my favorites in the challenge.

Asian-Style Pork over Lo Mein – Really good. Pork responds very well to this flavor.

Broccoli, Cheese & Chicken Casserole – I was skeptical – but it merges the different aspects of this dish together quite well.

And that was it.  I made it and I learned an enormous amount in such a short time.

Even now that the challenge is over, I find myself bringing the bottle with me to every meal.

I guess I love adventure…

I mentioned above the digestive benefits, it has been particularly striking.  I really digest whatever I’m eating much better when I apply the balsamic to it.  For that reason alone, I’d recommend it to others. I really would!

Try some Balsamic Vinegar of Modena – you’ll be surprised.