Typical Products

Although the recent chestnut festival I attended in Italy was ostensibly a celebration of chestnut season, no food festival in Reggio Emilia would be complete without prodotti tipici, or “typical products.”  When pressed to name some typical American food products I immediately think of Kraft “process cheese products” and Coca-Cola.  But in Italy, the words have a completely different meaning (and taste). 

In contrast to our American industrial items, Italian prodotti tipici are foods that are characteristic or representative of a specific region.  They are foods and wines that have been handcrafted for centuries using traditional methods and they are inexorably linked to their place of origin.  Prodotti tipici in the Reggio province of Emilia Romagna include some of Italy’s most famous foods: prosciutto di Parma, parmigiano reggiano, and balsamic vinegar. 

At the festival, in addition to chestnuts, there were dozens of tables offering local products for sale and for sampling.  My mother and I literally ate our way down the street, stopping every 10 feet to taste, discuss, and buy local foods.

In addition to Parmigiano Reggiano, Reggio Emilia is also known for its excellent balsamic vinegar (aceto balsamico tradizionale).  However when you think of balsamic vinegar, you probably think of Modena, because the producers in Modena have done an excellent job of marketing their product to the rest of the world.  Maybe too good of a job.  All those bottles of balsamic vinegar that you see on grocery store shelves bear little resemblance to the traditional balsamico made in Modena and Reggio. 

Commercial balsamic vinegars are industrially-produced red wine vinegars to which caramel coloring and sugar has been added in order to mimic the dark coloring and sweetness of real balsamico.  Although sweet, they are very acidic tasting (and smelling) and lack the depth and fruitiness of real balsamico. Industrially produced vinegars are usually not aged, or if aged at all, it is in stainless steel tanks for a few months.

The real balsamico is an artisanal product with a sweet, fruity taste and a syrupy consistency, some nearly as thick as molasses. It cannot be considered balsamico tradizionale until it has been aged at least 12 years, which also accounts for its high cost.  Undoubtedly, price and the potential for profit led to the industrialization of balsamic vinegar.  While there is a place and use for these cheaper imitation vinegars (on salads, for example), some producers are clearly benefiting from the confusion between the high-end traditional product and the cheap mass market stuff, charging exorbitant prices for what is essentially boiled vinegar and sugar. 

In an effort to protect producers of traditional foods and to help consumers sort out the difference, the European Union (EU) has created a mark known as DOP (Denominazione d’Origine Protetta) to guarantee the authenticity and artisan characteristics of certain food and agricultural products.

For an eloquent and thorough description of balsamico and even how to make your own (if you have 12 years to spare), see chef Paul Bertolli’s article in Fine Cooking magazine or this one by food writer Molly O’Neill.

So why should you pay $50-100 for a bottle of balsamico tradizionale? If you are just looking for a sweet dressing to toss with your salad, you are better off using the $7 grocery store brand.  But in cooking, aged balsamico tradizionale, like truffle oil, can transform a dish. Used at the last minute, a tiny amount on a bowl of steaming risotto or a fine piece of steak or venison, adds extra dimension to your meal. And since it lasts forever--in a restaurant I was once served balsamico that was supposedly 100 years old—you can keep it in your pantry for years and bring it out for special dishes and occasions.

Each bottle, such as the one shown below, comes nestled in a hinged box.  Once the wax-sealed cork is removed, you replace it with another stopper with a glass dropper dispenser (good balsamic is not poured but served by the drop) and a booklet describing the history of balsamico in Reggio Emilia:

“Congratulations on succumbing to the seduction of Traditional Reggio Emilia Balsamic Vinegar, a product both extremely modern and very old, fruit of human ingenuity and dedication, present on the tables of the fortunate and the wise for centuries.”

Obviously buying a bottle of balsamico is a luxury.  For me, however, it is also a souvenir.  A reminder of Reggio, because it was there that I tasted real balsamico for the first time, drizzled on chunks of parmigiano reggiano.  Aceto balsamico tradizionale represents much that Italy stands for--a long history of making things by hand and an appreciation for great, complex, subtle food. Time in a bottle, if you will.  All it takes is a taste--a drop licked off the back of my hand--to transport me back to the place I love.

Tomorrow: A visit to see how balsamico is made

Comments

[Sonia]

Your "Crazysalad" is a delicious Blog! Always a pleasure and so informative!

[LisaSD]

Glad you're enjoying your trip, and sharing some of it with us!

[Kirk]

Looks fab Angie - Can't wait to see how the Balsamic is made and aged!

[Angie]

Sonia--

Thanks for the kind words.

Lisa & Kirk--

I'm back in San Diego now, but have a huge backlog of Italy posts that I'm eager to share. Look for upcoming features on restaurants, homecooked meals with friends, local food shops and grocery stores, and eating Chinese and Korean in Europe.

[Franz]

Another great post. One time or another, I'll force you to taste something very very tipical: cappelletti's brodo with a shot of Lambrusco. Yes, mixed! Sounds disgusting, but my grandmother loves it.

baci

Franz

[Sonia]

Hi Angie, me again. May I linking "Leaves of Grass" with your "Crazysalad"? Would be nice because your blog is great!

[Angie]

Ciao Franz:

You don't have to force me--I'm always ready to try new foods. Anything made with cappelletti sounds good to me.

Sonia:

Of course, thanks for asking.