Last month we took a short trip to Italy to visit some friends and to celebrate our anniversary. Our first day there a group of us had lunch at an outdoor cafe. On the table with the other condiments was a small bottle of dark liquid. Pictures showed it being used on meats, cheeses, shrimp, strawberries and ice cream. Upon further investigation we discovered it is a balsamic vinegar sauce thickened and sweetened with a concentrate from grapes. We were all intrigued and tentatively tried it on salads and cheeses. Mmmm... that's good.
Soon we were squirting it on everything on our plates. When the food was gone we squirted it into teaspoons and ate it. The next day our group split and 2 groups independently went grocery shopping. We both returned with various items for dinner and bottles of the delectable dark delight. It came at a price though, 4 euros (~$5) for a small 250g bottle. In Italy you can buy a whole bottle of decent wine for that price. That night we again indulged in the magical sauce and discovered that it does go well with just about everything, sweet or savory. Needless to say we returned to Switzerland with a bottle of the "Black Gold" in our luggage. Wondering when it would run out, I started searching our local grocery stores and discovered that it is sold here with slightly different packaging. I highly recommend trying it if you can find it in a store near you. Beware though, it is highly addictive.
Last month we took a short trip to Italy to visit some friends and to celebrate our anniversary. Our first day there a group of us had lunch at an outdoor cafe. On the table with the other condiments was a small bottle of dark liquid. Pictures showed it being used on meats, cheeses, shrimp, strawberries and ice cream. Upon further investigation we discovered it is a balsamic vinegar sauce thickened and sweetened with a concentrate from grapes. We were all intrigued and tentatively tried it on salads and cheeses. Mmmm... that's good. 
Soon we were squirting it on everything on our plates. When the food was gone we squirted it into teaspoons and ate it. The next day our group split and 2 groups independently went grocery shopping. We both returned with various items for dinner and bottles of the delectable dark delight. It came at a price though, 4 euros (~$5) for a small 250g bottle. In Italy you can buy a whole bottle of decent wine for that price. That night we again indulged in the magical sauce and discovered that it does go well with just about everything, sweet or savory. Needless to say we returned to Switzerland with a bottle of the "Black Gold" in our luggage. Wondering when it would run out, I started searching our local grocery stores and discovered that it is sold here with slightly different packaging. I highly recommend trying it if you can find it in a store near you. Beware though, it is highly addictive.
2 comments:
Mmmmmmmmm...Euro-crack.
I pity you upon your return to the states and hope, with all my heart, you do not end up the Tyrone Biggums of Ponti.
Special sauce, capicolla, lettuce, provolone cheese on a focaccia bun. Mmmmmm!!
Just wanted to check in with my guitar teacher from years back.....
Have any new guitars you need me to Van Halen-ize for you?
Figure out who this is yet?
Shoot me a note: georgecw@gmail.com
I look forward to hearing from you. It's been too long.
Later.
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