Saba (vin cotto) is an instant garnish or sauce for many dishes. Here, a molded salad of avocado, tomato and mango. Photo by Jan Infante | IST.

WHAT IT IS: A sweet cooking and garnishing syrup from ancient Rome: the father of balsamic vinegar. WHY IT’S DIFFERENT: It isn’t made from wine, so it doesn’t have the acidity of a vinegar product. WHY WE LOVE IT: Another easy way to add exciting flavor to just about any dish, sweet or savory. WHERE TO BUY IT: See products below.

• Find reviews of more of our favorite
  oils, vinegars and dressings.
• Cooking video of the week: Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with corned beef and cabbage.
• Recipe of the week: Make a Double Banana Creme Pie. Top it with a shamrock cookie for St. Patrick’s Day.
• Learn all about balsamic vinegar.
• Follow us on Twitter.
• See our daily notes of interest on
  Blog.TheNibble.com.
• Become a NIBBLE Facebook Fan.
• All of the Top Picks Of The Week are
  permanently archived on TheNibble.com,
  in chronological order and product category.
• See the Table Of Contents of the March
  2011 issue of THE NIBBLE, plus the back
  issues archive and our most popular articles.

Saba, Sapa Or Vin Cotto: Page 2: How To Use It

Introduction To Saba/Vin Cotto

An Italian saying goes, “Sugar sweetens, saba flavors.” The expression also says “Sugar sweetens, vin cotto flavors,” depending on what region you’re in. Saba, sapa, mosto  cotto. mosto d’uvo cotto* or vin cotto, you’re dealing with a syrup made from reduced, fresh-pressed grape juice.

*Mosto cotto = cooked must; mosto d’uvo cotto = cooked grape must. The terms refer to the same thing: Must is fresh grape juice.

Instead of a one-dimensional sweetness from refined sugar, saba delivers a natural, fruity, slightly sweet cooked grape syrup† with hints of plum, raisin and other dark fruits. Some have strong butterscotch notes, like white wines aged in oak barrels. Others we’ve tasted have hints of smoke. There are as many different flavor profiles as there are producers.

†You will see saba/vin cotto referred to as “wine syrup.” That’s incorrect. It isn’t wine; it is made from fresh-pressed grape juice and contains no alcohol.

Let us repeat—because there is so much misstated information out there

• Saba is not “cooked balsamic vinegar” (balsamic vinegar is also cooked). It is pre-balsamic vinegar.
• Saba is not a vinegar of any kind. It is cooked grape juice (must) with no vinegar in it. That’s what makes it different from balsamic, which is cooked must plus vinegar.
• Verjus, saba’s sister, is made from the same must but is not cooked.

You know what to do with balsamic vinegar, but what about vin cotto?

The uses are as vast as  your culinary imagination—from a beverage (added to sparkling water) to granita (sprinkled over shaved ice) and ice cream. Think balsamic without the tartness.

We use it to:

Breakfast

• Flavor plain yogurt

Lunch & Dinner

• Garnish (drizzle) or sauce for meat, poultry, seafood and vegetable dishes, including grilled vegetables
• Marinades and salad dressings, plus deglazing
• Drizzle over sharp, aged cheeses
• Drizzle over beans and grains (especially polenta)
• Drizzled on fresh or grilled fruits
• Top ice cream, sorbet, plain cakes and baked goods

Cooking & Baking

• Instead of sugar: in bread and tomato sauce

Want to make your own saba? There’s a recipe below.

INDEX OF REVIEW

This is Page 2 of a two-page review. Click on the black links to visit other pages:

• Page 1: Capsule Report
• Page 1: Buy Saba Online
• Page 2: How To Use Saba (a.k.a.
  Vin Cotto)
• Page 2: Recipe ~ Make Your Own Saba
• Verjus: Sister Of Saba
• Balsamic Vinegar: Son Of Saba

MORE TO DISCOVER

• THE NIBBLE’s Oil & Vinegar Section
  Product reviews, recipes and more.
• More Top Pick Of The Week Dressings
• Recipe: Double Banana Creme Pie
  Bake one for St. Patrick’s Day. Find a green garnish.
• VIDEO OF THE WEEK: Corned Beef
  & Cabbage
  Make this classic St. Patrick’s Day dish.

Saba Recipe

Saba is no longer widely used in Italy. The last stronghold was the Marche region of central Italy until the mid-20th century. It is still produced there today, but as a rarity. Balsamic is now king.

Here is a recipe from the great chef Pellegrino Artusi (1820-1911), who is to Italian cooking what Brillat-Savarin is to French cooking. Those who want a second career in fine cuisine should note that Artusi retired from a career as a silk merchant to devote his time to cuisine. He completed his masterful cookbook, 1891, at age 71, he completed his cookbook, La Scienza In Cucina e L’arte di Mangiare Bene (The Science of Cooking and the Art of Eating Well), at the age of 71.

It has never been out of print in Italy, and you can buy the English translation. The paperback edition has an introduction that adds the history of the book and its importance in the context of Italian history and politics.

Artusi’s recipe for sapa begins with 2-1/2 k (5-1/2 pounds) of ripe grapes: