Balsamic vinegar is a culinary delicacy with a price that is sometimes eye-watering for just a tiny bottle. Balsamic vinegar health benefits are not widely appreciated, but it is well worth using this vinegar in your kitchen, if only for its unique taste.
Balsamic vinegar is traditionally created in the Italian provinces of Reggio Emilia and Modena. Complete, late-harvested, sweet dessert grapes (red Lambrusco or white Trebbiano) are crushed to make a juicy should complete with seeds, skins and stems.
The must is heated to concentrate the juice down to a third of its original volume, then cooled and left to ferment for up to three weeks. Yeasts ferment the sugar from the juice to make alcohol, which is then further converted to acetic acid by bacteria.
The balsamic vinegar is matured and further concentrated in successively smaller casks made from a variety of woods, such as oak, chestnut, cherry, ash, juniper and mulberry. As the vinegar ages, it gets thicker and more concentrated due to evaporation through the walls of the barrels.
During a minimum ageing of 12 years (and up to 100 years) the vinegar absorbs complex flavours and antioxidant polyphenols from these casks, and water evaporates, to create the rich, dark, viscous, mellow, glistening, balsamic condiment whose taste profile includes hints of smoky figs, cherries, chocolate or prunes.
Traditional balsamic vinegar is labelled Aceto Balsamic Tradizionale and sold in 100ml bottles. Traditional balsamic from Modena is recognised by its bulb-shaped bottle, while balsamic vinegar from Reggio Emilia comes in a tulip-shaped bottle. Their authenticity is revealed by a D.O.P or Denominazione Di Origine Protetta stamp. These artisanal vinegars are graded as fine (affinato) which are around 12 years old, old (vecchio) which has matured for around 18 years, and extra old (extra vecchio) that is a 25 year old vintage.
Some balsamic vinegars are labelled condimento and are made using traditional methods but outside of the protected areas.
More commercial balsamic vinegars are labelled Aceto Balsamico di Modena and aged for a minimum of two months to claim protected geographical status (IGP or Indicazione Geografica Protetta).
These commercial balsamic vinegars are sold in different sizes of bottle, and are typically aged for three to seven years. While cheaper, they are more acidic, have less flavour, and significantly lower levels of antioxidant polyphenols than traditional balsamic vinegar.
Check ingredient labels if you want an authentic balsamic vinegar, which will just list'grape must', aged grape must or Mosto d'Uva as components and carry a DOC (Denominazione di Origine Controllata) stamp. Expect to pay more for these.
Balsamic syrup or glaze is thickened with guar and xanthan gums to mimic the consistency of expensive traditional balsamic.
During ageing, balsamic vinegar absorbs antioxidant polyphenols from their wooden casks. While the original must has a polyphenol content of around 26mg g per 100mg once it goes into the wooden casks, this increases almost one hundred fold to 2000 mg polyphenols per 100g or more as it concentrates, of which over a third are catechins (similar to those found in green tea), quercetin and resveratrol which are associated with health benefits in red wine.
Balsamic vinegar made from red grapes (Lambrusco) contain more polyphenols than gold balsamic vinegar made with white grapes (Trebbiano).
Balsamic vinegar is often promoted as a weight loss product. The catechin polyphenols it contains are similar to those in green tea, which are proven to stimulate metabolism and the amount of fat converted into heat (thermogenesis).
However, balsamic vinegar has not been investigated as a weight loss aid in clinical trials. Similarly, other vinegars such as apple cider vinegar have been found to slow stomach emptying, improve digestion and reduce the glycaemic load of foods, but there are no studies involving balsamic vinegar itself. Enjoy balsamic vinegar for its flavour, but don't expect miracle weight loss from using it.
In laboratory studies, balsamic vinegar inhibits the oxidation of LDL-cholesterol and reduces its uptake into the scavenger cells (macrophages) that result in inflammation, hardening and furring up of the arteries. It is therefore thought that balsamic vinegar leads to the beneficial effects of the Mediterranean diet to help lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels, but there are no human trials at present.
Preliminary studies indicate that balsamic vinegar activates the beta cells within the pancreas that secrete insulin hormone. Balsamic vinegar is under investigation for its potential to help protect against type 2 diabetes, but there are currently no published clinical trials.
Balsamic vinegar has been assessed for its effects on well-being, along with other traditional ingredients, in women with breast cancer. In the study, between 34 women, half followed a polyphenol rich diet consisting of 15 ml/day balsamic vinegar (infused with apples, honey, sea buckthorn berries, rosemary, sage and basil) and instructed to drizzle this over salads and vegetable soups.
They also took a grape seed extract rich in polyphenols. After three months, the physical, functional and social well-being of those taking the extract was significantly better than those not using the balsamic vinegar mix.
As heating destroys the distinctive flavour and aroma of traditional balsamic vinegar, and because of the cost of the real thing, it is traditionally allowed to use by the fall fresh berries, Parmigiano or Grana padano cheese, creamy desserts such as panna cotta, and vanilla ice cream.
Commercial balsamic vinegar can be drizzled over food at the end of cooking, on asparagus, pasta, grilled meats, scallops, shrimps, sea bass,
We are constantly asked what the benefits are of olive oil versus other types of oils. Aside from the drastic difference in the taste and quality of our olive oils versus other oils, there are many other health benefits of olive oil.
The list of the benefits of olive oil is a very long one. There are so many benefits of olive oil, in fact, that you might wonder how you can fit more of it in your diet on a daily basis.
Discover the nutritional benefits of olive oil, which vitamins it contains, and what makes extra virgin olive oil the healthiest type to purchase.
Olive oil is the liquid fat, or natural oil obtained from pressing entire olives. Different olives, from different countries, will each give the oil a different taste -- some quite mild, and others quite peppery or bitter.
Different processing techniques will cause olive oils of different'grades' -- refined and unrefined.
Unrefined oils are pure and untreated, meaning that no chemicals or heat have been used in the extraction procedure, resulting in a purer oil with a stronger taste. Refined oils have been treated to remove any flaws and are usually lighter in colour and milder in taste.
Extra virgin olive oil is an unrefined oil made from pure, cold-pressed olives and is usually more expensive, as it is deemed the maximum quality. It has a stronger flavour and is typically darker in colour compared to other olive oils.
Other, regular or light, olive oils are usually a mix of both cold-pressed and processed oils.
Olive oil is 100% fat. One 15ml (1 tbsp) serving contains around 135 calories, and on average 14g of fat of which 2g are saturated and the remainder is unsaturated fats.
Around 75% of this fat is a mono-unsaturated fat, called oleic acid, or omega-9, which is associated with multiple health benefits. The remainder is poly-unsaturated fats, known as omega-6 and omega-3.
Olive oil contains vitamin E, which supports the normal function of the immune system as well as maintaining healthy skin and eyes, and is a good source of vitamin K, which is required for blood clotting and wound healing.
It is the oil's antioxidant status which provides a lot of its nutritional value, graded using the ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) scale. Dietary antioxidants are found in foods and have been shown to significantly improve health. Extra virgin olive oil typically has a higher ORAC scale than refined olive oil.
Olive oil is a vital component of the Mediterranean diet, and there's been plenty of research that demonstrates the benefits of olive oil, in particular extra virgin olive oil, for heart health. This includes its ability to decrease blood pressure and enhance healthy cholesterol levels, both of which contribute to a reduced risk of heart disease.
A large review of some of these studies demonstrated how olive oil was the only source of monounsaturated fat that's been associated with a reduced risk of both stroke and heart disease.
Inflammation is thought to be one of the major drivers behind some of the world's more chronic health problems, including Alzheimer's and Type 2 diabetes. Research looking at the role of antioxidants and their anti-inflammatory effect, such as oleic acid found in olive oil, has discovered they play a role in reducing inflammation and the marker for inflammation known as C-Reactive Protein (CRP).
Some studies have even found that extra virgin olive oil contains an antioxidant compound called oleocanthal, which shares the same pharmalogical activity as ibuprofen, thereby acting as a natural anti-inflammatory.
Part of this anti-inflammatory role has also been associated with certain positive changes in immune function in people who have rheumatoid arthritis.
As part of a healthy diet (one that includes high intake of fruit and vegetable and fatty fish) olive oil has been found to play a role in decreasing the risk of depression.
A 2015 study found that in elderly populations, a Mediterranean diet supplemented with olive oil or nuts was associated with enhanced cognitive function, and there's been studies into how it may reduce the risk of Alzheimer's.
Other early research has suggested that olive oil may have protective effects against Type 2 diabetes and some forms of cancer -- however more research is necessary before we can draw any firm conclusions.
There is some debate around this as it is traditionally thought that extra virgin oil was more sensitive to heat and had a lesser'smoke point' -- once an oil reaches its smoke point it begins to change in chemical structure and may develop into a transfat. A 2018 study found that both extra virgin and regular olive oil both had great smoke points and are therefore fine to cook with.
As extra virgin olive oil is more expensive and has a stronger, more peppery taste it may be best stored for drizzling and dipping rather than cooking with. Refined olive oils, such as mild olive oil, are much cheaper and have minimum taste that means it won't affect the flavour of whatever you are cooking.
Ideally, buy olive oil in a dark bottle, especially extra virgin olive oil, as light degrades the oil and can turn it rancid. This also means it's best to store your olive oil in a cupboard and not on the kitchen surface where it can be exposed to sunlight. Dark glass bottles or stainless steel containers offer better protection than plastic bottles.
Check the'best by' date and if you see'harvest date' or'pressed ' date, it is very likely to be a higher quality oil.
Different regions and oils can create different tastes so often this is just down to preference.
