An interview with Acetomodena
Balsamic vinegar is different in so many ways from your standard vinegar: we can say it’s a food from its own, not only an ingredient of a recipe, nor a simple seasoning... It’s part of the Modenese culinary tradition and it’s often one of the the stars of a dish. In the past weeks, many of our faithful customers asked us more details about balsamic vinegars: for this reason we had a very nice chat with the Acetomodena Export Manager, that brought us through a wonderful tour in their headquarters.
Can you help us to deepen the philosophy of Società Agricola Acetomodena?
The Vecchi Family has been producing balsamic for several generations – some of the barrels in the Acetaia are over 150 years old! The company is an artisanal producer, focused on maintaining traditional methods and high quality, whilst focusing towards the future.
How do Acetomodena vinegars differ from the others on the market?
These are natural and high quality products, made by a family business in the countryside of Modena, using grapes from family vineyards. It’s not to take for granted that these are real balsamic from Modena, because there are so many fakes out there that take advantage of the so-called “Italian sounding”!
What is the relationship between Acetomodena and its territory of origin?
The Balsamic Vinegar of Acetomodena comes from a family tradition dating back over a hundred years. In the Modena countryside, situated next to the family vineyards is our beautiful vinegar farmhouse. We work carefully and patiently to produce a range of the highest quality Balsamic Vinegar of Modena and Balsamic Condiments, respecting the tradition of the territory.
Please recommend to our customers a recipe with one (or more!) of your products.
I’ll go with Risotto with Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena DOP.
Ingredients for 4 servings:
320 grams of risotto rice,
4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil,
2 shallots,
vegetable stock (1 litre),
50 grams of parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, 5 teaspoons of Balsamic Vinegar.
Preparation: Heat the oil in a pan and add the chopped shallot, fry gently and then add the rice and toast it. Pour in half of the broth and stir. At medium heat, cook the rice, stirring and gradually adding the remaining broth. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and add the parmesan cheese, stir, adding a teaspoon of Balsamic Vinegar.
Serve and drop a teaspoon of Balsamic Vinegar on each portion. Serve warm.
