Use Balsamic Vinegar All you need to know about Balsamic Vinegar of Modena
What is balsamic vinegar ? A glossary of Balsamic to introduce you to this extraordinary product. It is the second and final article where we will discover the terminologies used in our world of Balsamic Vinegar.
If you want to know what is Balsamic Vinegar, you are in the right place. We advise you to read the article to better understand the characteristics of Balsamic. You will discover how much love, passion, dedication and attention are necessary and indispensable for the production of this unique product in the world.
Densimeter
An instrument used to establish the density of must, vinegar and the relative sugar level.
Doga
A wooden stave that composes the barrel: sightly curved, narrow, long, with variable thickness and width.
Drosophila
A small insect of the Diptera family, it is the vinegar fly. They eat saccharomycetes so we find their larvae on the surface of the vinegar or the must. The eggs are laid on the surface of the staves of the barrel vault. It is not particularly harmful and for eliminating them you will not use chemical methods, instead, it is necessary to close tightly the barrel and obscure as much as possible the Acetaia. They are destined to disappear with the first colds.
Fermentation
The biochemical transformation carried out by the Aceto bacteria that transform sugar into alcohol and subsequently into acetic acid.
Invecchiamento – Ageing
It does not indicate only a period but also identifies all the chemical-physical transformations that take place in the smallest barrels. During this transformations, the olfactory taste characteristics of Balsamic are formed and strengthened.
Lieviti – Yeasts
They are single-cell microorganisms Saccharomycetes and Zygosaccharomycete belonging to the Mushroom family.
The precious enzymes help the transformations in the balsamic maturation phase.
Madre
A colony and aggregation of Aceto bacteria and it looks like a gelatinous film or a veil. It forms generally on the surfaces of liquids and can be smooth, wrinkled, thin, thick, but it can go up the walls of the barrel or sink into liquid. It is rich in bacteria but it is necessary to pay attention to how it appears and develops because the gelatinous mass can sometimes deteriorate the product.
Matraccio – Flask
It is a spherical glass ampoule with an elongated neck with a capacity of 100 ml. It is usually used for organoleptic analysis, visual and olfactory evaluation of Traditional Balsamic Vinegar.
Pezzuola – Rag
A piece of linen used to cover the bunghole. It is also positioned soaked in cooked must to make it adhere completely to the barrel.
Rabbocco – Filling
The operation of filling and restoring the product level in the barrels.
Register
A notebook where you can write all the news and operations carried out and concerning the Acetaia. It is indispensable because of the very long production times of Balsamic. It is also important to catalogue and transmit to posterity the greatest number of useful elements to better know the Vinegar factory and to avoid irreparable errors.
Refractometer
It is an instrument used to measure the percentage in the product. The one most used is the Brix refractometer.
Saba or Sapa
The must cook over direct heat and reduced by the two-thirds of its initial volume. Because of its high sugar level, it is not useful for the production of Traditional Balsamic Vinegar but it is used in the kitchen with multiple uses.
Sgallatura
It is the phase of cleaning and preparation of the barrel woods before starting to use them in the Acetaia. They eliminate Gallic acid, one of the phenolic organic acids contained in the wood fibres.
Tinella
An oak or chestnut barrel with cone trunk and with a capacity of about 50 litres.
Tragno
It is a historical and typical container of Traditional Balsamic Vinegar made of terracotta with a wide belly and a narrow neck with or without ears. Always present in the old Acetaie, it was used to contain Balsamic Vinegar intended for daily use.
Travaso – Decant
A delicate operation carried out during the product’s rest period (winter months) during which the Balsamic Vinegar is transferred from one barrel to another.
Vasello
A wooden container. A synonym of Barrel with different sizes. It is an element of the battery.
Zaffo
A plug or wooden lid placed to close the bunghole on the top of the barrel.
What is Balsamic Vinegar: Glossary D to Z
If your curiosity is not satisfied and you want more information on what is Balsamic Vinegar, we advise you to read the first part of the Glossary from A to C and the other related articles:
https://usebalsamicvinegar.com/balsamic-vinegars-glossary-a-to-c/(opens in a new tab)
Greetings from Modena.
