The History of Balsamic Vinegar

The first written reference to balsamic vinegar dates back to 1046, when the Holy Roman Emperor Henry III was gifted a silver bottle of balsamic vinegar while passing through Reggio Emilia on the way to his coronation. Prior to this, balsamic vinegar was largely exclusive to the specific regions in what is now Italy that actually produced it — Reggio Emilia and Modena. In fact, to this day, true balsamic vinegar, typically referred to as traditional balsamic vinegar or Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale, is made exclusively in Reggio Emilia and Modena using nothing but grape must and traditional preparation methods. These bottles are typically very expensive due to the labor-intensive production process and carry a D.O.P. certification to show their authenticity. Balsamic vinegar was introduced to the mainstream population of the United States by Chuck Williams, the founder of Williams-Sonoma, in 1977. At first, he likely imported authentic Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale, but as demand outstripped supply and consumers started to clamor for lower-priced options, imitation balsamic vinegars began to crop up. This led to the introduction of the D.O.P. designation for traditional balsamic vinegars. However, both Condimento-style balsamic vinegar (which refers to balsamic vinegars that are made in the traditional manner but are for one reason or another unable to receive the D.O.P. designation) and imitation balsamic vinegar (which is typically made with inferior ingredients designed to mimic the traditional product) are widely available on store shelves today and are used for salad dressing and in a wide variety of culinary dishes. True Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale is also popular, but much more expensive to acquire and is typically only used as a finishing ingredient to complement various Italian dishes, desserts, and even fresh fruit.