Balsamic vinegar has been around for at least a millennium, yet it's only been on American shelves since the '70s. According to Serious Eats, balsamic spent most of its history lingering in relative obscurity.
It existed in a very limited geographic area, which corresponds to the modern Italian provinces of Reggio Emilia and Modena. It has long been prized by the region's residents, exemplified by the case of the Holy Roman Emperor Henry III, who visited Reggio Emilia in 1046. What did the locals choose as a gift? A bottle of vinegar.
