-pops- Posted July 22, 2007 Report Share Posted July 22, 2007 (or Basalmic vinegar as Delia said in one of her TV shows)I previously considered this product to rank with oysters, Champagne, extra virgin olive oil and squid ink pasta as one of the less important things of life. I seem to be wrong!Yesterday in my local Tesco I saw their "Basics" range now has balsamic vinegar in its ranks. I always thought that this range of products was meant to consist of low cost versions of ordinary items - basics, as the name suggests. Is it because I live in a posh area that they consider balsamic vinegar vital to the local existence? Will I be seeing the other non-essentials being included - like peacocks tongues, dodo eggs and asses milk? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ɹəuəllıʍ ʇɐb Posted July 22, 2007 Report Share Posted July 22, 2007 Without balsamico and extra virgin olive oil there wouldn't be an Italian cuisine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andsome Posted July 22, 2007 Report Share Posted July 22, 2007 I have never used balsamic vinegar, but get through a lot of olive oil. Not only is it superior to most other oils for cooking, it is also extremely good for you. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-pops- Posted July 22, 2007 Author Report Share Posted July 22, 2007 Without balsamico and extra virgin olive oil there wouldn't be an Italian cuisine.OK, I accept that but it's hardly an essential to English cuisine and life especially when the "Basics" range is intended to cover just that - the basics of bread, flour, margarine, salt, toilet rolls and the like - the things needed to offer the buyer a basic existence. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tankus Posted July 22, 2007 Report Share Posted July 22, 2007 Whats the proportion of "english" people living in your area ...pops......My local Turkish deli and Shri lankan offy are now chock full of polish stuff.................. nice sausages .........! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-pops- Posted July 22, 2007 Author Report Share Posted July 22, 2007 99% Caucasian - British through and through. Even people with a sun tan get stared at by the remnants of the Raj who inhabit the town. That said, though, there are some extremely large (ergo very expensive) properties around here owned by Arab oil families, especially Saudis but they are never seen. There are two Indian restaurants and one Chinese, one French, one Italian restaurant. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catgate Posted July 22, 2007 Report Share Posted July 22, 2007 We use quite a bit of it, mainly in salad dressings and sauces. What I find a bit of a con is the price variation of the stuff. O.K. the own label Tesco/ASDA stuff is cheap and a bit crappy, but once you have got up out of that range it seems to be who can charge the most for a small, and sometimes imperceptible or imaginary, difference in flavour. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gordythegouge Posted July 22, 2007 Report Share Posted July 22, 2007 In Inverness, where we go to do our main shopping, there used to be a delicatessan, with all sorts in it, but the last time we went up.....it's been replaced with a shop that appears to sell nothing but balsamic vinegar, with various flavours, as well as olive oils and exotic mustards and dressings. All very nice, but they charge an arm and a leg for what is essentialy just accompaniments to cooking!! By the time you've left the shop....you can't afford to buy the main course! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ɹəuəllıʍ ʇɐb Posted July 25, 2007 Report Share Posted July 25, 2007 Balsamico is a very high-quality, aged vinegar, hence it is expensive. More expensive if it is aged longer.On the other hand, you don't use lots of it, so it will probably last a bit longer than just a single meal.B.t.w. there are many uses for balsamico, even for desserts. Strawberries with balsamico are a delight! Roasted or grilled red meat with a balsamico-reduction sauce is a perfect balance.See also http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balsamic_vinegar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Watchful Posted July 25, 2007 Report Share Posted July 25, 2007 There is a lot of tosh spoken about balsamic vinegar. With me it ranks alongside all the other foodie snob items. People love to have it in their cupboard along with umpteen other herbs, spices and seasonings that they hardly ever use.Olive oil I'm all for and do use it every day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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