A couple weeks ago on Friday, February 13th I had the opportunity to take a day trip with the office of student life here at NYU to the town of Modena, in the region just north of Tuscany: Emilia Ramagna.
It was just a two hour bus ride to the little town famous for a few notable things: Luciano Pavarotti, Ferraris, and Authentic Balsamic Vinegar.
The main purpose of our trip was because we were invited into the home of Marisa Barbieri Giuliani, an 80 year-old woman who has been a member of the Balsamic Vinegar Consortium for many many years.
What we are used to in the USA when we think of “balsamic vinegar” is actually not even close to the real thing. Because of the specific climate in Modena, it’s just about the only place in the world that “authentic” balsamic vinegar can be made. The process is one of putting wine into a series of barrels of varying sizes and wood-type, and letting them sit for YEARS until they have matured.
The “youngest” bottle of vinegar they sell is 12 years old. Price: € 40 (about $ 50)
The most mature vinegar is 25 years old at € 70 (about $ 90)
They were, however, selling tiny vials of the stuff for € 23 (circa $ 30)
They call it “black gold”
Funny how “black gold” in the USA is petroleum, and in Italy it’s vinegar…
Making the vinegar is a family tradition. Each of Marisa’s 5 children and her many grandchildren have a special section of the attic where their very own barrels are kept and looked after. The attic reeked of vinegar, but as we would soon find out, this was unlike anything we had ever tasted. Also, Marisa’s son Stefano is the only one of her children who have the pallet for tasting the vinegar.
In order to sell your vinegar with the packaging that denotes it as “authentic” (which includes a special bottle, label, and box) you have to bring a sample to the Consortium, where five tasters (one of whom is Marisa) who are divided by blinders so they cannot see one another, must unanimously agree that this vinegar is in fact “authentic” and makes the cut. If it passes, the vinegar is bottled right there to be sold.
I don’t like vinegar. At all. Of any kind. But this stuff changed my perception of it. It’s actually very sweet when it ferments for that long. In fact, the 25 year vinegar is recommended to be put on GELATO! Imagine putting vinegar from the USA on vanilla ice cream…
Other common uses are to top vegetables, fruit, salad, and steak. You really only use a tiny tiny bit because it’s EXTREMELY potent and (as I’ve shown above) very precious/expensive. Marisa told us that all her friends and relatives only ask for vinegar on birthdays and holidays, and when important politicians or celebrities come to the area, they are always given vinegar, and it’s considered to be a very generous gesture.
After the tasting and demonstrations, we went back downstairs and her housekeeper Maria prepared us a DELICIOUS lunch of risotto, bread (made with SALT!), and of course, wine. The wine in the Modena area is a sparkling red, though, and I much prefer the Tuscan chianti.
This was definitely one of the most interesting and culturally authentic experiences I’ve had in my time here. Something about being invited into a native Italian household and seeing how they live connects you with the culture in a way that no other experience can. And especially to see a craft that has been passed down over generations, and still continues today in the attics of everyday citizens, it was remarkable. Alexa told us that people don’t produce this vinegar to make money; it’s not a lucrative craft…and you rarely even break even. People do it because they love it.
We’re quickly running out of those things in America. Everyone is out to make money. People don’t bother with spending time and money on things that don’t have some sort of material gain. It’s just another lesson from the wise, old Italian culture.
Alexa, our leader on the trip, was exactly right when she told us that “After this trip, you’ll never think about balsamic vinegar the same way again, and you’ll always have a story to tell at the dinner table for the rest of your life.”
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