From the Farm: Balsamic vinegar is only ‘Balsamic’ if Italian

I’ve sacrificed on various diets to shed some pounds throughout the more than two decades writing this column.

I’ve mentioned in previous writings that often a farm-fresh garden salad with flaked tuna and a hefty drizzle of Balsamic vinegar blended with a fine virgin olive oil served as my calorie-saving lunch menu staple. Saturated with flavor and fiber but light on those ingredients that lead to added weight gain, this appetizing option was always satisfying.

Balsamic vinegar was also the new (yet old) flavor rage of the early 2000s.

While selecting bottled Balsamic vinegar from the store shelf, what I didn’t realize is that reading the fine print on labels can counter true branding.

Billed as “one of Italy’s most hallowed agri-foods,” Balsamic Vinegar of Modena recently emailed me a