Pensieri di un lunatico minore

Aceto Balsamico di Modena

There are many precious things in life, but in the food world, there are few more precious than fine balsamic vinegar. I’m not referring to the cloyingly sweet mechanized chemical experiment that most people have had in some dreadful “balsamic vinaigrette” but a dark, viscous elixer of both sweetness and complexity.

The real thing (Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena) is insanely expensive, and something that quite honestly I can’t rationally justify purchasing. I love it, don’t get me wrong, but it’s just simply more than I can consider having in the house. Having said that, when a friend observed a bottle of Cavedoni Botte Piccola for what was an insanely reasonable price, I pounced on it. I did not regret it.

Make no mistake, this is not a Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena D.O.P., with all of it’s required supervision, certification, numbering and jaw-dropping price. It is, however, a vinegar made in the same style and technique of the original, but simply seven years old instead of the requisite 12. It is still aged in the same seven reducing-size barrels of Trebbiano grapes, and comes with a majority of the complexity of the “real” stuff at a fraction of the price.

Fortunately, the Cavedoni family, who have been making fine tradizionale vinegars since 1860, have seen fit to begin importing it into the US at a fair price. If you can find it, buy it. But whatever you do, don’t mix it with olive oil and call it a salad dressing. Use it sparingly over strawberries or ice cream. Sprinkle it over good Parmesan-Reggiano and breathe deep. Or perhaps drizzle some over the last of the summer’s fresh ripe tomatoes and some good mozzarella di bufala_ on some nice crusty bread and call it dinner.

If you’re feeling truly decadent, pour it into a small aperitif glass and drink it straight and sample a complexity that equals any port in the world.