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I read that probably all truffle oil is fake. Hard to find a definitive statement.
id venture anything under $200/oz USD is fake. it is generally sourced as a byproduct of the petrochemical industry.
Real 100 year old Balsamic vinegar is $200/oz though: https://giusti.com/products/giusti-100-reserve
Another clickbait article title. Shame on you BBC. Not fake. "Balsamic vinegar that is not labelled "tradizionale" (traditional) is a blend of wine vinegar and grape must, made from grapes with no particular provenance and aged in wooden or steel barrels for just a few months."
Truly bad headline here. There is a type of “traditional” balsamic vinegar that follows very specific guidelines. But so long as it’s not labeled as “tradizionale” and doesn’t claim to be from this region, then it’s not “fake”.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Truffle oil you buy at the store, never been within miles from a real truffle. It's an oil that made to smell and taste "kinda" like truffle. The label is clear about that. It's not fake in the same way it's talked about fake balsamic vinegar in this article.
I was recently traveling in New Zealand and had an opportunity to visit the Te Puke truffle farm. They explained why truffle oil is not made by infusing truffles in oil: it's because truffles can harbor botulism, which is anaerobic, and so dunking a truffle in oil creates a perfect environment for botulism to thrive. "Fake" truffle oil is a feature, quite literally not a bug.
Botulism can survive boiling, but not pressure cooking, which is only a little bit hotter, And below the point which oils are destroyed.
Another clickbait article title. Shame on you BBC. Not fake. "Balsamic vinegar that is not labelled "tradizionale" (traditional) is a blend of wine vinegar and grape must, made from grapes with no particular provenance and aged in wooden or steel barrels for just a few months."
Yeah, this feels more to me like Whiskey vs Bourbon where it's just standards and locations differing much of the two. I thought it was going to be more like wasabi, where most places just serve green horseradish.
I read that probably all truffle oil is fake. Hard to find a definitive statement.
id venture anything under $200/oz USD is fake. it is generally sourced as a byproduct of the petrochemical industry.
I'm surprised the article makes no mention of lead. >> Aged vinegars, favored by gourmets and sometimes costing $100 a bottle, contain more lead than the quicker brewed, less expensive kinds. For three imported varieties tested in 2002, people who eat one tablespoon per day would be exposed to seven to 10 times the maximum daily level of lead set by California. https://www.ehn.org/special-report-some-vinegars-often-e…
A tablespoon of traditional balsamic is a huge portion. The stuff is typically served with an eyedropper.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
So what would make it fake?
If it wasn't balsamic vinegar at all. This is just saying it isn't high quality balsamic vinegar from Moderna. This is just about protected names. If you make champagne but you don't do it in Champagne then it is "fake champagne", but if you make cheddar but not in Cheddar then it's "real".
Earlier quoted context omitted.
A tablespoon of traditional balsamic is a huge portion. The stuff is typically served with an eyedropper.
A couple tablespoons and equal parts olive oil is what I get on top of my salads everywhere I go. So, no.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
So what would make it fake?
A better question to ask is "what makes it real". The problem I have with "fake" and "real", particularly with Italian and French goods, is there's often a "Produced from this region by these people" incorporated into the definition of "real". This is very apparent when you look into things like "Mozzarella". Italy would have you believe that mozzarella could only be produced in Italy as if the region somehow blesses…
Aging in barrels, just like whiskey and a bunch of other alcohols. The geographic designation is only important because it's the only authority that guarantees that the manufacturer is selling what they claim. I couldn't care less about Modena or Reggio Emilia but I want something that's been aged in a barrel, not just mixed with thickener to make it look reduced.
It's not acceptable to dilute Everclear with food coloring and flavoring and call it whiskey, regardless of geographic designation, which is what these "fake" balsamic vinegars are essentially doing.
> If the breakdown process of balsamic vinegar ends up producing a chemically and flavor profile identical to just red wine vinegar and grape must, then who cares if it's "fake"?
The process doesn't produce the same flavors. Not even close. As a lover of real aged balsamic, it just doesn't compare. It's just cheap and good enough for many recipes so I use it as often as the real stuff, but it's a cheap imitation through and through.