The tradition of Tradizionale Balsamic Vinegar - Olives Stuffed with goodness - Pedrosillano Cafe Ceci Beans - chefshop.com/enews
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Traditional Tradizionale
You can taste the heritage
Tasting traditional balsamic vinegar is a treat. “Tradizionale” has an official designation, meaning the vinegar was produced according to age-old techniques originating in the Middle Ages; in fact the first written reference to balsamic dates back to 1046.
In its authentic formulation, balsamic vinegar is a thick voluptuous syrup, the perfect melding of sweet and sour laced with deep, exotic caramel undertones. It was initially formulated as a “balsam,” or medicinal elixir for kings and emperors and was a prized commodity whose recipe was closely guarded by its producing guilds in the 12th and 14th centuries.
To this day traditional balsamic vinegar is produced according to original, centuries-old techniques. Producers begin with grape must, a cloudy grape juice made by pressing the fruit with skin and seeds intact. This mixture is then boiled down, fermented, and aged in a series of progressively smaller wooden casks crafted most commonly of oak, chestnut, cherry, ash, and juniper.
At each stage, producers decant a portion of the maturing vinegar and refill the barrel with younger liquid from the previous cask.
The distinctive flavor profile of vinegars from different producers comes from the sequence of wood casks used in the aging process along with specific techniques for transferring the fermenting liquor from one barrel to another. These practices have often been passed down by word of mouth from generation to generation.
Balsamic vinegar must be aged a minimum of 12 years to merit the seal of “tradizionale” designation. Even then, a panel of judges provides a final quality-control step. These relatively youthful vinegars are labeled with a red seal. After 18 years (silver-label) the substance thickens and sweetens into a dark brown syrup redolent of raisins, fine port, and deep caramel.
At 25 years, the liquid acquires the color and consistency of molasses, its flavor a luxuriously exquisite elixir more suitably used in desserts than in savory dishes. Some people prefer to savor this gold-label balsamic by drizzling it into demitasse spoons and consuming it plain, undiluted by other flavors or textures, much as the royalty of yore must have done when taking their medicinal liquors.
If you’ve only tasted supermarket-grade “balsamic,” you’ve experienced thin, low-grade wine vinegar laced with caramel color and thickened with guar gum. The resulting liquid is harsh, astringent, and sharp.
Once you try the real thing, imbued with complexity and balance, deeply flavored, and voluptuously textured, nothing else will do.
Shop now for Italian raised Balsamic Vinegar!
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Olives Stuffed with Goodness
People Love Them!!
Olive trees, perhaps as old as man or older, have been referenced in literature for eons. Symbolizing wisdom, power, purity, fertility and peace, they are written about in Greek myths, in Roman poetry, and even in Tutankhamen's tomb. The Bible, the Book of Jacob, and the Quran all reference the olive tree, and the importance of olive oil.
Native to the Mediterranean, the Olive tree is very hardy, resistant to disease and fire, and perhaps most importantly, resistant to drought. Cultivation of the olive tree began more than 7000 years ago, and today, there are trees that are over 2000 years old and still producing fruit!
Is the olive and its tree mystical? Perhaps it is. Feeding and nourishing man as a food source since the beginning of history, as it still is today. There is some work afoot to figure out how to use the olive oil waste as an energy source, with the potential of creating two and half times the energy as the same amount of wood.
Our selection of olives, from stuffed and pitted, are the ones that have weathered the test of time, just like the olive tree itself. Our customers are the ones who keep these products around because they keep ordering them. We like these olives; only olives found in the Agora are better...
Shop now for Olives of all kinds!
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Pedrisillano Café Garbanzo
A ceci, a chickpea, a garbanzo, one of a many variations, the same yet different
This is the bean known as Pedrosillano Café Garbanzo. Smaller in stature than their brother, the York, they swell to the challenge by 15% after soaking. These really smooth beans, with a bit of nuttiness, are a favorite with chefs wanting to make the very best hummus. As versatile as all garbanzos are, they also are great in salads and soups.
How are these different than the commodity beans you see in the market? Traceable and fresh. From planting to harvest, from bagging to us, every bean has a route we know! It's this freshness that makes them better. I expect the natural growing process doesn't hurt either. Non-Gmo.
Shop now for super delish non-gmo ceci/garbanzo beans!
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Sweet!
This jar is packed with island flavor, the flavor of Ohi'a Lehua Blossom Honey! Thick, like butter, it spreads so easily and without the sticky mess! My favorite.
Desert Miracle
The highest polyphenols from the desert sun of Morocco! Not only good for you, the flavor profile is just right for everyday, everything use!
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| Cooking Class! Booking October Classes Now |
Cooking Class - The Moroccan Table Cooking Class
Add some spice to your life with exotic Moroccan food. We'll be demonstrating exotic yet simple dishes you can make at home including olives with harissa, Moroccan-style bean dip, chicken tagine with preserved lemons, quinoa "couscous" salad, carrot salad with feta and mint, Moroccan coconut "cake".
Visit the store everyday! (except Sunday)
Mark your calendars! Bloggers and everyone, the 20th of September we will have an amazing Italian sampling party with Cheese and drinks, foods you have never tasted before unless you have been to Sicily! And some pastries and more.
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DESIGN: JODI LUBY & COMPANY, INC. NEW YORK CITY, NY; EMAIL STRATEGY: CRM Group USA, SEATTLE, WA
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