Summer is here, and there’s nothing better than sitting outside during the long evenings with a fresh punnet of strawberries by your side to nibble on after dinner. The fruit is a symbol of British summertime, whether it’s taking children to pick-your-own patches lining countryside roads, dousing berries in cream while watching Wimbledon, or enjoying a good old-fashioned Pimms.
But getting the freshest, juiciest, and sweetest strawberries can be quite a hard task. Fruit sometimes needs a little boost of flavour to bring it alive. Many people may quickly jump to a sprinkle of sugar or a generous glug of cream, but a splash of something much sharper can actually help it to taste sweeter.
The secret is a couple of drops of good-quality balsamic vinegar.
Although this may sound weird and may feel completely counterintuitive, a small splash can bring the berry alive and make it pop with a different kind of flavour.
Instead of trying to add to the strawberry’s sweetness like a sprinkling of sugar or a drizzle of honey, balsamic instead balances the fruity flavour making it much more satisfying to taste.
Because of that it can bring out the natural sweetness of the strawberry giving your brain the illusion that they were sweeter than before.
There is also some science behind its flavour enhancing abilities, the vinegar is naturally acidic with a low pH which actually helps to break down some of the cells in the berry allowing its natural sugars and juices to be released more easily as you begin to chew.
Good quality balsamic vinegar shouldn’t resemble anything close to malt that you might put on your chips or white vinegar you might even clean with; instead, the aged vinegar is much more mellow, almost having a sticky, syrup-like sweetness to it behind its sour flavour.
For any home cooks wanting to go the extra mile, a small sprinkling of salt can take the combination to a whole new level. Again, it may sound slightly strange, but a small dusting can help bring out the rich flavours of the vinegar and actually make the fruit taste even sweeter.
How make strawberries taste sweeter
For the best result a simple recipe can offer a guide to balsamic strawberries but as the sweetness varies so much from punnet to punnet, it is best to taste as you go.
Give your strawberries a good rinse under the tap and place them on a chopping board.
Cut off the green tops and slice down the middle lengthwise to give an even bigger surface area.
Drizzle over around a teaspoon of good quality balsamic vinegar for every handful of strawberries (around five or six).
Give a good stir, add a very small pinch of salt and leave for five minutes in the fridge to allow the vinegar to start to break down the fruit
Have a taste and add a sprinkle of sugar to taste.