If you’re like me, you went through a balsamic vinegar phase.
Venturing beyond its traditional habitat in the salad bowl, or drizzled on the occasional strawberry, you poured it on rice, added it to your favorite pickle recipe, and perhaps even used it in a stir-fry.
In my case, at any point where the bite of a little acid was needed, I went with balsamic, until I was pretty much sick of it. Balsamic vinegar is not mayonnaise, I realized. It does not make everything taste better. There are places where the fruity, syrupy sweetness and wine-like complexity is too cloying and distracting.
More recently I’ve become enamored with an offshoot that’s a lot more versatile, and a lot harder to overdo. For years it went by the name white balsamic vinegar, as it’s made with similar ingredients. Due to some legal constraints that I’ll discuss in a moment, it’s no longer technically called “white balsamic.” Instead, look for “white Modena vinegar” or “white Italian condiment.”
Whatever you call it, many enthusiasts consider it simply to be an alternative to traditional red balsamic vinegar for those times when you want that sweet, tangy, balsamic-y complexity without the dark red color. But that distinction ignores the big differences.
It’s brighter, with more tang and less heavy sweetness, and a lighter finish. It won’t hijack the flavor of your meal, and is content playing a supporting role. It’s also tremendously versatile, and even if you don’t love it enough to add to your A-list of condiments, it can be used in a pinch to substitute variously for rice vinegar, white wine vinegar, sherry vinegar, and even champagne vinegar. It’s near-impossible to confuse with its red cousin, even with your eyes closed.
The name “white balsamic” is no longer permitted in order to protect the “DOP” status of red, or true balsamic. DOP stands for Denominazione di Origine Protetta, or Protected Designation of Origin. It can be found affixed to some of Italy’s finest and most celebrated foods, including cheese, extra-virgin olive oil, wine, prosciutto and pesto.
Not all of these products get this designation by any means, not even the ones from Italy. Only the ones made with ingredients local to where the finished product was produced, and processed with rigid adherence to traditional practices.
Winemakers in Modena have been making balsamic vinegar for about 1,000 years, via a process similar to that of making wine. It’s made from white Trebbiano grapes from the Emilia-Romagna region.
The grapes are pressed into “must,” which is a mixture of grape juice and the leftover skins, seeds and stems from the grape clusters. The must is simmered for hours, during which time it caramelizes, darkens and thickens. The syrup that results is aged in barrels of oak, cherry, chestnut, mulberry, juniper and other types of wood. Often it’s more than one type of wood per batch.
The word “balsam” refers to a sticky resin that leaks out of cut trees and is used in perfume and other aromatic products, and these types of woods help to explain why. Twelve-year-old balsamic vinegar is the standard, though it’s possible to find bottles aged 20 years or longer.
If you get your hands on some aged balsamic, it really is a treasure. A few drops, not nearly enough to add any significant amount of acid, will add untold levels of aromatic fruity complexity to a dish.
The white version is more of a common man’s vinegar, and isn’t available in DOP versions. With that being said, if I had to choose just one for my pantry, I would choose the lighter. Its production begins with the must of those same Trebbiano grapes. But in this case, white wine vinegar is added. The resulting mixture is cooked at a low temperature, to ensure it doesn’t caramelize or darken. It is sometimes aged in oak, other times in stainless steel, but never for more than a year.
White Italian condiment doesn’t roll off the tongue, but it’s a name worth getting used to, along with white Modena vinegar. In the privacy of your home you can call it what you wish. And whatever you call it, you should definitely use it.
While balsamic vinegar draws all the attention, its lighter cousin does the opposite, so you won’t find dishes built around it. It’s a laborer, and does a great job on many fronts. You can deglaze with it, add it to marinades and even pickles.
I’ve written before about thin-sliced onions languishing in a white Italian condiment bath before being added to salads. I’m also quite enthusiastic about drizzling some on my avocado toast, with olive oil, onion and tomato.
In my home, our biggest use for white Italian condiment is in salad dressing. We do a mixture of three parts olive oil and one part vinegar, with the vinegar portion consisting of equal parts cider vinegar, balsamic vinegar, and white Italian condiment, with optional soy sauce to taste. The pairing of three vinegars, two of which having balsamic tendencies, adds a sparkling depth. And finally, a simple Italian-style roasted red pepper snack: Halve and de-seed some red bell peppers and broil until the skin browns and blisters. Place in a paper bag and let them cool for about 10 minutes. Remove the skins, slice into bite-size pieces, and toss with olive oil, fresh pressed garlic, capers, and white Italian condiment. Season with salt, and serve.