What About Balsamic Vinegar?

[wolffree]

I"m two days diagnosed with Gluten intolerance..and I"m amassing my list of good and bad. I'm not much of a sweets eater..but the biggest challenge i'm finding is replacing what I used to marinate my food in ...and my salad dressings.

I can't find anything about balsamic vinegar which I love. I find white vinegar..but not Balsamic..

HELP???

Teddi

[Kim]

Balsamic vinegar is fine -- it is gluten free.

Vinegar in general is fine -- including distilled vinegar. The only vinegar that is NOT okay is malt vinegar. That has gluten.

Welcome to the gluten free world.

also, you can marinate with gluten free soy sauce (last I checked, La Choy is gluten free as is San J). Most soy sauce does have wheat so you just have to check. You can also marinate in a ready-made gluten free Italian salad dressing (i.e., Paul Newman, Annie's, whatever your preference).

Kim.

[tarnalberry]

Actually, you'll want to check the ingredients of your balsamic. See... real balsamic is expensive (unless you live in Italy!), so _some_ (by no means all) companies add caramel and other flavorings to their balsamic vinegar. (Even then, it may be safe, but you'd want to check the company to verify it is a safe caramel - I think most in the US are (Can someone update me on this one?).) Getting unadulterated balsamic isn't hard, even in a mainstream grocery store in the US, but you'll want to check. If you've gotten real balsamico, then no worries at all, and happy eating!

(I brought back a backpack full of the real stuff from Italy, and while it nearly killed my back, at 7-10 Euro per 100ml bottle for the stuff that's at least three times the price or more here, I'm _so_ doing it again! :-) If you ever go to Modena, or are in that region of Italy, don't pass up the opportunity to get the good stuff they don't export.)

[Kim]

Tiffany, it's interesting that you say they have additives. I've only ever seen pure balsamic. good to know. Kim.

[gf4life]

Balsamic Vinegar should be fine, but thank you Tiffany, for the heads up!

I had to comment on the San-J soy sauce. ONLY the wheat free Tamari types of San-J are gluten free. They list "wheat-free" on the label. Make sure you check. And if you have a choice of San-J or La Choy, San-J has a much better flavor.

God bless,

Mariann