White Balsamic Vinegar

[specialteach]

Picked up a bottle of white balsamic vineagar the other day and am wondering if there is anything special I should do with it? So far I have just used it on salads.

I never heard of it, let alone tasted it before. Anyone know anything about it?

[docsconz]

It isn't tradizionale .

[fifi]

I am not sure that "white" balsamic vinegar isn't an oxymoron. What makes balsamic balsamic is the long aging that concentrates the flavor in wooden casks so that the color cannot be "white". Why does this sound like a marketing trick to me? I have seen it but haven't tried it so I can't comment any more intelligently than that.

[specialteach]

It isn't tradizionale

The bottle claims it is a product of Modena, Italy. That's why I bought it (and it was on sale).

[docsconz]

It may very well come from Modena, but not all Modenese balsamics are the same. The really good stuff is at least 12 years old and must be judged by experts before being considered balsamico tradizionale di Modena. Most of the other stuff is industrially produced plonk that trades on the name of the tradizionale. Of course, this stuff is much cheaper and therefore more accessible. I believe, howver, in this case one generally gets what one pays for. That being said, I have never had thewhite balsamico. I doubt, however, that it has much in common with the tradizionale.

I'm sorry if I came across snottily in my previous post.

[Chris Cognac]

I am interested in the taste...you should experiment with it..reduce it and see if it gets sweet etc...Let us know, I have never heard of it either!

[specialteach]

It may very well come from Modena, but not all Modenese balsamics are the same. The really good stuff is at least 12 years old and must be judged by experts before being considered balsamico tradizionale di Modena. Most of the other stuff is industrially produced plonk that trades on the name of the tradizionale. Of course, this stuff is much cheaper and therefore more accessible. I believe, howver, in this case one generally gets what one pays for. That being said, I have never had thewhite balsamico. I doubt, however, that it has much in common with the tradizionale.

I'm sorry if I came across snottily in my previous post.

Thanks for the apology. Keep in mind that not all of us can afford to buy 12 year old balsamic from Modena.

I never thought that it was traditional, but maybe part of modern Italian cooking. Just because it isn't traditional doesn't mean that it isn't good, or worth a try.

[Niall]

We asked about it at our local gourmet shop (simon Johnson, Sydney) and they said just use it like you would normal balsamic. We haven't used it yet though .

Edited October 20, 2003 by Niall (log)

[docsconz]

It may very well come from Modena, but not all Modenese balsamics are the same. The really good stuff is at least 12 years old and must be judged by experts before being considered balsamico tradizionale di Modena. Most of the other stuff is industrially produced plonk that trades on the name of the tradizionale. Of course, this stuff is much cheaper and therefore more accessible. I believe, howver, in this case one generally gets what one pays for. That being said, I have never had thewhite balsamico. I doubt, however, that it has much in common with the tradizionale.

I'm sorry if I came across snottily in my previous post.

Thanks for the apology. Keep in mind that not all of us can afford to buy 12 year old balsamic from Modena.

I never thought that it was traditional, but maybe part of modern Italian cooking. Just because it isn't traditional doesn't mean that it isn't good, or worth a try.

It certainly may be good and worth a try and yes tradizionale is very expensive and out of the reach of a lot of people. My point about the white balsamico is that I doubt it is very much like tradizionale, although a lot of people might expect it to be because of the name balsamic with the added descriptor "of Modena". It is just that tradizionale is such a special product and most of the other stuff, while ok just isn't special.

[IrishCream]

It certainly isn't traditional but I have really been enjoying a bottle I picked up a few months ago. Makes a good salad dressing without darkening it which can be unattractive on certain salads. It doesn't taste like typical balsamic but has a good taste of its own. Much smoother than the cheap unaged balsamics or red wine vinegars.

[Suzanne F]

Yes, the color -- or lack thereof -- can be a plus. We mix it with an herb vinegar to lighten and sweeten the effect. IrishCream is right, it's not all that much like real balsamic, but it has a pleasant flavor and is a bit sweeter.

I haven't tried cooking with it; but then I don't cook with the dark kind, either, except to add it to marinades.

[Blondelle]

I was just wondering if there is much of a taste difference between the white and standard balsamic vinegars. I know the white would look better in a salad dressing, but would I be giving up taste in exchange for a more pleasing looking dressing?

[Zen Baker]

I was just wondering if there is much of a taste difference between the white and standard balsamic vinegars. I know the white would look better in a salad dressing, but would I be giving up taste in exchange for a more pleasing looking dressing?

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I have the white balsamic vinegar from Trader Joe's, and it doesn't taste as strong as regular balsamic vinegar. It lacks that pungent tartness that is present in the regular. I like it - I use it mostly in salad dressings, when I want something a little "lighter". At TJ's, it's only about $1.50, so you can't really go wrong. It's good in marinades too, especially if you don't want to use your 50-yr old balsamic.

[Smithy]

To my taste it's distinctly sweeter as well as less pungent. My husband and I differ slightly on where we prefer flavors - he likes things slightly sweeter, I prefer more tart - so he's forever adjusting my salad dressings and sauces with a touch of white balsamic. What's funny to me about this (funny or annoying? you decide ) is that he cannot resist making comments about empty carbohydrates when I use sugar, but the white balsamic has sugar added to it.

Does anyone know if all white balsamic has sugar added? Or are we just getting the cheap stuff?

Edited to add: if you wanted to keep the white appearance of the salad dressing but get a more complex flaor, you could try mixing white balsamic with a more tart white vinegar - sherry vinegar for instance, or maybe just white wine vinegar.

Edited June 11, 2005 by Smithy (log)

[albiston]

Does anyone know if all white balsamic has sugar added?  Or are we just getting the cheap stuff?

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White balsamic can only be "the cheap stuff" since real traditional balsamico, Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena, is always amber colored. Also the production method is completely different. The traditional product is made from grape must from white sort Trebbiano, which has been concentrated through cooking, let acidify naturally and then aged, if I remember correctly, for at least 12 years in casks made of different wood sorts, each contributing to the special aroma of the product.

Essentially the cheap balsamico has nothing to share with the original product. It is always wine vinegar, grape must and either caramel syrup (dark balsamico) or anti-oxidising agents like sulphite (white balsamico).

[Brad Ballinger]

Forgive me, but white balsamic sounds like it was created in the marketing department. And the Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena of which Albiston writes is never used on salad. When it is dirzzled on veggies where the color will look much like the color of supermarket balsamic vinegars look in salads, no one really gives a damn. I'd put it in the same category as "cooking wine."

[Fat Guy]

I think "white balsamic" works better in salad dressings than "red balsamic" because "white balsamic" is more like normal wine vineger (albeit sweeter) and less like real balsamic vinegar. If you experiment a bit with different vinegars, I think you will find that regular wine vinegar is pretty much the best vinegar for salad dressings, and that as you get into sweeter, heavier vinegars the dressing starts to mask rather than enhance the flavor of your salad.

[Smithy]

I think "white balsamic" works better in salad dressings than "red balsamic" because "white balsamic" is more like normal wine vineger (albeit sweeter) and less like real balsamic vinegar. If you experiment a bit with different vinegars, I think you will find that regular wine vinegar is pretty much the best vinegar for salad dressings, and that as you get into sweeter, heavier vinegars the dressing starts to mask rather than enhance the flavor of your salad.

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Fat Guy, you've touched a nerve. We do have a lot of vinegars, and we experiment with them. My salad dressings never contain white balsamic - at least, not at the start. When my sweetie starts adjusting things to his taste, in goes the white balsamic. Occasionally it really grates on me, and occasionally he'll leave my dressing alone.

I keep things in perspective by realizing that it's a sign of a good marriage when this is the biggest thing I can complain about.

[Fat Guy]

Smithy, your husband is most likely attracted to the sweetness of the stuff, which is a pretty pervasive preference among American salad eaters -- you'll notice that most every salad dressing sold in the US has a ton of high fructose corn syrup in it. Two things I can suggest to get around that: 1) add some sweet ingredients to the actual salad, such as dried cranberries -- this provides really nice contrast with a more acidic/bitter dressing and at the same time is less masking to the tastes of the vegetables in the salad; 2) find other sweeteners for your dressing -- the combination of honey and mustard is particularly effective and enhances all sorts of greens (so the dressing would be oil, red wine vinegar, honey, Dijon mustard, salt and pepper).