| Headword | Traditional Balsamic Vinegar from Reggio Emilia |
| Domain and subdomain | Food – condiment |
| Grammatical label | Noun, sing. |
| Definition | Traditional condiment of the Emilia cuisine, made with cooked must of grapes coming exclusively from the areas of Modena and Reggio-Emilia, fermented, acetified and aged for at least twelve years. (1) |
| Note | Reggio-Emilia balsamic vinegar DOP is the vinegar produced especially in the vinegar factory of Montericco (Reggio-Emilia). The properties of the vinegar are in the aging obtained into several wooden barrel batteries for a long period of time, never less than 12 years. The aging can last even for 25 years, making the vinegar “extra-vecchio”. (2) While the common process of acidification for common vinegar is fomented with wine, for producing the esteemed Reggio Emilia ABT the process is fomented with cooked must. The grape represents the protagonist of this vinegar given that it is produced thanks to different musts of several species of grape like “Trebbiano, Occhio di gatto, Spergola”. The three phases of the balsamic vinegar production are the alcoholic fermentation, the acid oxidation and the aging. Small oak wooden barrels are used most of the time, but also chestnut, mulberry, cherry, ash and juniper, each one of them giving a particular aroma to the vinegar and making it unique. This vinegar with its gentle parfum and its pleasantly intense acidity is perfect to be combined with carpaccio, pinzimonio and marinade. It is also used in order to season omelettes with or without vegetables, meat and fish. (3) |
| Context | Traditional balsamic vinegar is aged for more than 25 years so it is a culinary treasure to disclose and taste drop after drop exclusively for raw use. Because its taste is particularly long-lasting it is perfect as an after-meal elixir, but its extraordinary organoleptic abundance makes it good when combined with cheese and sweets. (4) |
| Phonetic transcription | [trəˈdɪʃənəl bɔːlˈsæmɪk vɪnɪgər frəm red′jô e mē′lyä] |
| Synonyms/Variants | ND |
| Etymology | The Italian word balsamico (from Latin balsamum, from Greek βάλσαμον) means “balsam-like” in the sense of “restorative” or “curative”; cf. English “balm”. (5) Middle English: from Old French vyn egre, based on Latin vinum ‘wine’ + acer ‘sour’. |
| Product image |  (6) |
| Equivalents | ESP Vinagre balsámico tradicional de Reggio Emilia ITA Aceto Balsamico tradizionale di Reggio Emilia FRA Vinaigre balsamique traditionnel de Reggio Emilia RO Oțet balsamic tradițional din Reggio Emilia |
| Note of the equivalents | In Italian and in Spanish the term is masculine. |
| Institution | Università degli Studi di Modena e Reggio Emilia, Dipartimento di studi linguistici e culturali |
| Date | 03/08/2021 |
| Last modified | 7/05/2023 |
| Author Revisor | Margherita Baroni Chiara Buschi Gloria Zanella |
| Sources | 1) Grande Dizionario Italiano di Gabrielli Aldo 2) https://www.qualigeo.eu/prodotto-qualigeo/aceto-balsamico-tradizionale-di-reggio-emilia-dop/ 3) http://www.parmagourmet.it/aceto.htm 4) https://www.magnaregium.it/en/traditional-balsamic-vinegar-from-reggio-emilia/53-tris-100-ml-traditional-balsamic-vinegar-from-reggio-emilia.html 5) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balsamic_vinegar#:~:text=4%20Uses-,Etymology,English%20%22balm%22 6) https://languages.oup.com/google-dictionary-en/ 7) https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.qualivita.it%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2020%2F04%2Faceto-balsamico-reggio-emilia-no-1.jpg&imgrefurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.qualigeo.eu%2Fprodotto-qualigeo%2Faceto-balsamico-tradizionale-di-reggio-emilia-dop%2F&tbnid=yyu8edHO_7pYJM&vet=12ahUKEwj85sur44XyAhUS_qQKHQtwCOUQMygCegUIARDsAQ..i&docid=CKJwYYk4knNiiM&w=1280&h=853&q=aceto%20balsamico%20tradizionale%20di%20reggio%20emilia%20dop&ved=2ahUKEwj85sur44XyAhUS_qQKHQtwCOUQMygCegUIARDsAQ |
