L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, JUNE 30, 2022 www.italoamericano.org 12 L'Italo-Americano A ceto Balsami- c o d i Modena is one of the most pop- u l a r I t a l i a n products around the world. When I used to live abroad, in Northern Europe, I'd find it as an ingredient in a bit of e v e r y t h i n g f r o m s a l a d t o s a n d w i c h e s , a n d i n e v e r y supermarket. It was almost strange because, when I had left Italy, aceto balsamico wasn't much of a thing, at least where I came from. That doesn't mean that vinegar in general wasn't a s t a p l e o n o u r d a i l y t a b l e . Indeed, aceto is an ancient thing, if you think that its cre- ation enabled the hunter- gatherer communities of pre- history to preserve food for l o n g e r a n d , t h e r e f o r e , t o a b a n d o n t h e i r n o m a d i c lifestyle in favor of a more stable, agriculture-based way of living. Archeological find- ings demonstrate that both the ancient Babylonians and E g y p t i a n s k n e w a n d u s e d v i n e g a r a n d , o f c o u r s e , t h e G r e e k s a n d t h e Romans were familiar with it, too. The Romans, in partic- ular, would use it not only to p r e s e r v e f o o d b u t a l s o a s m e d i c i n e a n d t o m a k e a famous drink, posca, a mix of w a t e r a n d w i n e v i n e g a r , w h i c h w a s v e r y c o m m o n , especially among soldiers and the lower classes. In fact, some believe it was the Romans who "invented" balsamic vinegar. Let's take a s t e p b a c k i n t i m e … O u r famous ancestors were fond o f s a p a ( a l s o k n o w n as saba), a thick, sweet syrup obtained by cooking grape must until it was reduced to a thicker, sweeter, and more fragrant liquid. We know about sapa thanks to the works of famous Latin writ- e r s l i k e V i r g i l , P l i n y t h e Elder, and Ovid but, perhaps, the most important of all C l a s s i c a l r e f e r e n c e t o it comes from Columella, author of De Re Rustica ("on things of the countryside") who wrote, in the first centu- ry AD, that the area corre- sponding to today's Modena a n d R e g g i o E m i l i a w a s known for its production. In the Middle Ages Henry I I , E m p e r o r o f t h e H o l y Roman Empire, was appar- ently very fond of what peo- ple back then used to call "black gold," and was very l i k e l y n o t h i n g m o r e t h a n our aceto balsamico. It was so sought after and so pre- cious to be kept only in small, s i l v e r b o t t l e s . I n t h e Renaissance, chef to the stars – or better, the Popes: he s e r v e d i n t h e V a t i c a n kitchens under two popes, P i u s I V a n d P i u s V – B a r t o l o m e o S c a p p i , k n o w n f o r h i s O p e r a dell'Arte del Cucinare, also m e n t i o n e d a c e t o balsamico among its favorite ingredients. As a curiosity, his Opera, published for the first time in 1570, was the first place where an image of the humble fork appeared. The fame and popularity of balsamic vinegar certainly grew exponentially in those years, if we think that Duke Francis I Este transformed Palazzo Ducale's Torre del P r a t o , i n M o d e n a , i n t o an acetaia, a vinegar factory. The word "balsamic," howev- er, only appeared some 200 years later in reference to this famous concoction of vinegar and aged cooked must, in t h e R e g i s t r o d e l l e Canti ne Ducal i (1747), where a selection of vinegars w a s r e c o r d e d : t h e a c e t o comune, the mezzo balsami- c o a n d t h e b a l s a m i c o fine. According to food his- torians, the adjective "bal- samic" was given because of the deep, indeed, balsamic, aroma the syrupy delicacy possessed. From Roman times, all the way to the years of Baroque, balsamic vinegar, we have seen, was characterized by one thing: its preciousness. A n d t h e c o m i n g t o I t a l y of Napoleon and its troops only cemented its status. When the Corse general arrived in Modena, in 1796, he immediately understood the economic potential of b a l s a m i c v i n e g a r , s o l o c a l a c e t a i e t h a t o n c e belonged to the Este family were sold to private families and production upped. This m e a n t t h a t , b e f o r e l o n g , commoners, and not only the rich lords of Modena, could enjoy balsamic vinegar – provided, of course, they could afford it. A market for t h e a n c i e n t d e l i c a c y w a s finally born. With the Unification of Italy, in 1861, balsamic vine- gar started its path towards becoming one of the coun- t r y ' s e x c e l l e n c e s . F o r instance, it represented Italy a t t h e E x p o s i t i o n Internationale in Paris, in 1878 and, soon, different varieties of it, based on their specific aroma or their level of aging, were identified. Balsamic vinegar became so popular that production for a more affordable, less intense variety, something that could be used daily on most tables, began. Alongside came also the differentiation, still in use today and recognized official- l y b y t h e E U , b e t w e e n the Aceto Balsamico di M o d e n a I G P a n d t h e A c e t o B a l s a m i c o Tradizionale DOP, pro- duced both in Modena and Reggio Emilia. Let's look, then, at the dif- ferences between these three varieties of balsamic vinegar, Modena IGP, tradizionale D O P f r o m M o d e n a a n d t r a d i z i o n a l e D O P f r o m Reggio Emilia. The Aceto Balsamico di Modena IGP must be pro- duced within the administra- t i v e t e r r i t o r i e s o f t h e provinces of Modena and Reggio Emilia; in particular, the retrieval of raw materials, the production, and the aging o f t h e v i n e g a r m u s t t a k e place in these areas, while bottling can also be carried o u t i n o t h e r p a r t s o f t h e r e g i o n o r t h e c o u n t r y . T h e A c e t o B a l s a m i c o Tradizionale di Modena DOP must be produced with g r a p e s c o m i n g f r o m t h e province of Modena, and all s t e p s f o r i t s p r o d u c t i o n , including bottling, must take p l a c e i n t h e s a m e a r e a . S i m i l a r l y , t h e A c e t o Balsamico Traditionale d i R e g g i o E m i l i a D O P m u s t b e p r o d u c e d using grapes sourced in the province of Reggio Emilia, and all its production – here again including bottling - must take place also in the Reggio Emilia area. F o r m o r e i n f o r m a t i o n about the history of balsamic vinegar, you can check the interesting article published b y W e b F o o d C u l t u r e at https://www.webfoodcul- ture.com/aceto-balsamico- storia-informazioni-curiosi- t a / , w h i c h i n s p i r e d t h i s piece. FRANCESCA BEZZONE A barrel of Modena's balsamic vinegar (Photo: Barmalini/Dreamstime) LIFE PEOPLE PLACES HERITAGE TRADITIONS Balsamic vinegar is more syrupy than plain vinegar (Photo: Paologozzi/Dreamstime) The long history of Modena's aceto balsamico

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