 Antica Balsameria EmilianaFrom the beginning of the 1500s the court of the Estense Family in Emilian town became a cultural centre for men of letters and artists. Cultural ideas germinated and a the same time the culinary arts flourished; as well as exercising a positive influence on personal well-being, food presented excellent opportunities for socialising and entertainment. The gastronomic rituals of the court were sumptuous and offered a rich variety of combinations, and it was the custom to enhance every course with the use of vinegar and “saba”, a must of grapes with a unique flavour, a forerunner of the balsamic elixirs which were to make the area world-famous.
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Convents and spiceriesIn 1570 Estense Family ordered a convent to be built with a spicery annexed to it; this was supplied with a prized collection of ceramic apothecary’s jars. The jars, which were richly decorated, had a scroll ornament which indicated the contents; some contained a syrupy liquid - brown in colour, with a penetrating aroma and bittersweet taste - called balsamic vinegar.
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An aristocratic traditionThe prestige of the trademark Antica Balsameria Emiliana and of their Balsamic vinegar and dressing runs in the furrows of continuity with the past. From these aristocratic roots, the dressing, is today produced on the old estate, an ancient property of the Estense Family, which uses natural methods and integrated land, from grapes with low environmental impact, and it contains neither colourings nor preservatives; it is distributed around the world for the pleasure of the most selective palates, thus perpetuating an inimitable gastronomic heritage.
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