Chef at 04:40, 1 October 2020

2020-10-01T04:40:52Z

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{{#seo:
|title=Aceto balsamico tradizionale di Modena: Cooking Wiki
|titlemode=replace
|keywords=#acetobalsamicotradizionaledimodena #balsamicvinegar #grapes #vinegar #dop #chestnut #mulberry #condiments #juniper #cherry #grape
|hashtagrev=12032020
|description=Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena is a DOP balsamic vinegar which must satisfy the following requirements:colour: bright dark brown;
}}


[[Image:Aceto balsamico tradizionale di Modena.jpg|300px|thumb|right|Aceto balsamico tradizionale di Modena]]

'''Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena''' is a [[DOP]] [[balsamic vinegar]] which must satisfy the following
requirements:
*colour: bright dark brown;
*consistency: like a runny syrup
*aroma: characteristic, fragrant and, altogether, well-formed, penetrating and persistent bouquet with a noticeable but pleasant and harmonious acidity;
*flavour: characteristic of balsamic vinegar, in line with an unchanging centuries-old tradition; sweet and sour and well balanced, with appreciable acidity and a hint of aroma imparted by the wood used for the vats; strong, clear, full, velvety, intense and persistent, in keeping with its characteristic bouquet;
*total acidity: 4.5o or more (expressed in grams of acetic acid per 100 g of product);
*density at 20o C: 1.240 or more

The product is made from [[grape]] musts. Bottling, in which the product is put in unique round
crystalline white glass containers with a rectangular base
made of solid glass, takes place in the province of
Modena.

There are many historical references to '''Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena'''.

The earliest official record in which "balsamic" appears
alongside the word "[[vinegar]]" dates back to the 18th
century: a register of wine harvests and sales of the secret
ducal cellars for 1747 (Official records, Modena)
although, judging from accounts of the court of the Duke
of Modena, Alfonso I d'Este (husband of Lucrezia
Borgia), the tradition of producing a very special
balsamic vinegar in the area comprising the province of
Modena must go back to 1508 at least.

Documents dating back to the 16th century and to 1796
refer to very mature musts which were used in the
production of Modena style [[balsamic vinegar]] and to stays
for 36 barrels of the product in question which were kept
in a tower of the Duke's Palace. A recurring feature of these early texts on the production
of '''Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena''' are the
references to the basic ingredient, cooked must obtained
from typical [[grapes]] grown in the province of Modena,
and the fact that production takes place several floors up,
normally under the roof.

The first consolidated version of the rules governing the
production of '''Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena'''
is to be found in a letter sent by Francesco Aggazzotti to
Pio Fabriani in 1860. From that point onwards the
references to the product become more and more
numerous and official as trade in the product develops:
1863 Agricultural Exhibition in Modena; 1888 Emilia
Fair in Bologna; a brochure describing [[balsamic vinegar]]
as a Modena speciality made from selected [[grapes]].

All this confirms that since time immemorial the province
of Modena has produced a special type of [[vinegar]], not
found in other areas, whose methods of production and
ageing have been handed down almost unchanged over
the centuries and are now laid down in the rules
governing the production of '''Aceto Balsamico
Tradizionale di Modena'''.

To guarantee the traceability of the product the raw
material, i.e. the must, comes from [[grapes]] produced by
vineyards consisting wholly or partly of varieties of vines
listed in the rules of production or designated
for the production of Modena province quality wines psr.

Before being released for consumption every batch must
pass a series of analytical and organoleptic tests.

After bottling a numbered non-reusable label must be
placed on each bottle in such a way as to prevent anyone
from removing any of the contents without tearing it.

[[Grapes]] intended for the production of '''Aceto Balsamico
Tradizionale di Modena''' have to produce a must with a
saccharometer reading of 15o or more, and the maximum
production, in the case of viticulture-only holdings, must
not exceed 160 quintals per hectare, with a maximum
yield in terms of must of 70 %.

Must intended for the production of the [[DOP]] [[balsamic
vinegar]] is cooked at atmospheric pressure in open
containers. Cooking, using a direct source of heat, must
last for 30 minutes at least while maintaining a
temperature of 80o or more.

Blended musts or musts containing additives or
substances may not be used.

After cooking, the must undergoes [[sugar]] and acetic
fermentation in traditional [[vinegar]] production rooms,
using traditional methods which provide the necessary
ventilation and range of natural temperatures.

At least 12 years are needed for the optimum maturation,
ageing and after care of '''Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di
Modena'''. As part of the process the cooked must is
decanted several times into numbered and marked vats of
different sizes made of wood that is typical of the Region,
e.g. oak, [[juniper]], [[cherry]], [[mulberry]] and [[chestnut]].

When, in the opinion of the producer, the product
satisfies the minimum requirements set out in the rules
governing production it has to pass a series of analytical
and organoleptic tests before being put in special round
bottles made of white crystalline glass with a square base
and a capacity of 10-40 cl.

Ageing, aftercare and bottling must all be carried out in
the province of Modena.

'''Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena''' is the product
of a slow process of transformation of a unique raw
material: must produced from grapes of vine varieties
traditionally grown in the province of Modena and
cooked using a direct source of heat.

Maturation is a lengthy process, lasting 12 years at least,
and does not involve the use of any substance other than
cooked must or any physical or chemical process.

'''Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena''' is one of the
most important typical and traditional foodstuffs of the
Modena area; its characteristics and the fact that the
quantities produced are fairly limited, have helped to
forge the economic success and reputation of the product
at home and abroad.

The close links between the product and the local
conditions in terms of soil and climate are confirmed and
underpinned by the ban on accelerated and/or artificial
ageing techniques, including those based on induced
changes in temperature, humidity and ventilation in the
vinegar production rooms.

The fact that the raw material comes solely from Modena
province vineyards that produce quality wines psr
precludes the possibility of the characteristics of '''Aceto
Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena''' being reproduced
anywhere else than in that area.

'''Reference: [https://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/quality/door/registeredName.html?denominationId=59 The European Commission]'''

© European Union, https://eur-lex.europa.eu/ https://eur-lex.europa.eu/en/editorial/legal_notice.htm#droits

{{CategoryLineIngredients}}
[[Category:Ingredients]]
[[Category:Condiments]]
[[Category:Store cupboard items]]
[[Category:PDO-PGI-TSG ingredients]]

<code 'hashtagrev:12032020'>[[Special:Search/acetobalsamicotradizionaledimodena|#acetobalsamicotradizionaledimodena]] [[Special:Search/balsamicvinegar|#balsamicvinegar]] [[Special:Search/grapes|#grapes]] [[Special:Search/vinegar|#vinegar]] [[Special:Search/dop|#dop]] [[Special:Search/chestnut|#chestnut]] [[Special:Search/mulberry|#mulberry]] [[Special:Search/condiments|#condiments]] [[Special:Search/juniper|#juniper]] [[Special:Search/cherry|#cherry]] [[Special:Search/grape|#grape]]
</code>

Aceto balsamico tradizionale di Modena - Revision history

Chef at 04:40, 1 October 2020