Fresh Strawberries with Balsamic Vinegar

tracy benjamin

Here’s a delicious dessert with no added sugar. Be sure to try this as local strawberries come on to the market.

If you have never tasted this combination, you are in for a real treat.  It’s so simple, yet so good.  I remember the first time I tasted it. I had just returned from a festival celebrating aceto balsamico tradizionale in Modena, in the heart of the region of Emilia Romagna.  Oldways Preservation Trust  had organized  the educational opportunity during which we visited various acetaias – the places where the delicacy is traditionally made.

Learning can be very tough!

Real balsamic has an amber or caramel colour and has an almost syrupy or molasses-like consistency. Unlike imitations, it should have a rich, complex taste — a balance of sweet and sour. The older the vinegar, the more intense the flavour. If it meets the special criteria, it’s then labelled as a 12-year or 25-year-old product, depending on the score.

The older more expensive vinegar is often sold with a small dropper  called a “friendship saver’. At the price of the 25-year old balsamic, you can see why. If it poured out freely, well, the friendship might be in jeopardy.

But nowadays, you can find younger authentic balsamic vinegars  as well.  If you have a top quality aged balsamic vinegar, only a few drops  will do the trick.

Fresh Strawberries with Balsamic Vinegar

Serves 4

3 cups fresh strawberries, sliced
2 tbsp  aged balsamic vinegar

Toss strawberries with balsamic vinegar.  Serve immediately.

Per serving nutritional information:
Calories:  32
Protein:   1 gram
Fat:  less than 1 gram
Saturated Fat:    less than 1 gram
Carbohydrate:  8 grams
Dietary Fibre:  2  grams
Sodium: 2 milligrams

Have you tried this combo? Are you a fan? Please share in the comment section below.