Raise a glass or two for unsung vinegar makers

IWAS delighted to join a number of Stellenbosch wine producers recently to celebrate the annual feast of St Vincent of Saragossa, patron saint of winemakers – and vinegar makers. It marks the end of the vintage and it’s a good way to pray for the blessing of the new season’s wines. I think it’s a pity that the winemakers get all the good publicity while the vinegar makers go almost unnoticed. Vinegar is an important part of a healthy diet.

Like so many enthusiastic cooks, I use quite a lot of balsamic vinegar. It’s a trendy thing to do. Who uses ordinary grape vinegar when there’s balsamic to splash on your salad?

I assume St Vincent was patron saint of balsamic vinegar too, and not just regular wine vinegar. Maybe not. I don’t think saints specialise. Anyway, I suspect he may have died before the balsamic trend emerged.

I’ve noticed that every bottle of balsamic vinegar I buy comes from Modena in Italy. I have often thought Modena must be an enormous city to be able to produce the billions of litres of vinegar for the world’s chefs. Everybody’s using it today.

Traditional balsamic vinegar must be aged for at least 12 years in barrels, so it should be as expensive as well-aged Scotch whisky.

Well, the real stuff – labelled “Aceto Balsamica Tradizionale” – does rival rare Scotch in price, which is why we ordinary folk seldom see it.

The real product has been made in Modena since the Middle Ages and there is mention of it in writings as far back as 1046. Imagine that! Even before Harold caught an arrow in his eye at the Battle of Hastings, the rich people were enjoying balsamic vinegar.

What we see on our supermarket shelves is all called “Balsamic Vinegar of Modena, Italy”, but it’s a cheap imitation of the real thing.

The canny Italians have passed laws that say producers can call their product “Balsamic Vinegar of Modena” as long as it is made in the general region around Modena.

However, if you see the word “tradizionale” on the label, be prepared to take out a second bond on your house. The best traditional balsamic vinegar can cost up to $400 (R5 200) for a tiny 100ml bottle. Interestingly, gourmets are willing to pay kind of money for it. There’s a queue.

“Balsamica” apparently has nothing to do with balsam (as a child I was often subjected to an inhalation of Friar’s Balsam when I had a chesty cough. It worked). The modern “balsamic” vinegar apparently comes from the Greek word that means “restorative” or “curative”.

I suspect that apple cider vinegar might even be more restorative than balsamic of Modena.

Last laugh

A man sat down in a Cape Town restaurant and ordered the fish and chips for which the establishment was famous.

He waited patiently for about 15 minutes, then became a little agitated. The waiter noticed it and trotted over. “Sorry about the delay,” he said. “Your food will be ready in a few minutes.”

Another 15 minutes passed without the fish being delivered and the waiter came over again and apologised for the delay.

“Excuse me for asking,” said the diner, “but what kind of bait are you using?”