Definition of the Day: Balsamic vinegar

Balsamic vinegar - n. - an Italian vinegar made from a reduction of grape juice. It is often paired with olive oil for use as a salad dressing, or occasionally a condiment in which to dip bread. In Italian restaurants you might find balsamic in something like this:


Various Balsamic vinegar brands include Bella, Avanti, Clearspring, Biona, Regina and Villa Bellentani.

THIS is NOT a brand of Balsamic vinegar:




That's right. One of my many genius co-workers stumbled drunkenly into dry storage and grabbed the first jug of brown liquid they saw. They proceeded to, at the end of the shift, fill all of the half empty bottles in the restaurant with the murky fluid. It wasn't until a couple days later that I noticed the mix up as I, myself, was assigned the task of refilling.

For those of you who don't know, Lea & Perrins is in the Worcestershire sauce family. This type of sauce is generally used in bloody mary mixes and meat marinades and is generally not thought of as an ingredient in salad dressing or ideal for bread dippage.

Just thought I'd clear that up.