Balsamic
I spent the morning in the Naschsmarkt with Marisa Antonaya, a Thai-based peace researcher and Tinderbox user who is visiting her parents in Vienna. From Gegenbauer, I bought a flask of balsamic vinegar made from Golden Delicious apples.
"But those are horrible apples!", I exclaimed.
"I know," Ms. Bammer replied with good humor. "We wouldn't buy them. This farmer kept trying. Eventually, he gave them to us for free. They make wonderfully sweet balsamic."
Who knew? Now I understand why one of my cookbooks suggests that you really need a half-dozen kinds of oil, and a dozen vinegars. (I should have bought another bottle of a different sort. Left to myself, I buy too little, or too much.)
The olives were good, too. And lovely little fresh peppers, stuffed with fresh sheep's cheese.
