Lemon Balsamic Vinegar – 500 ml

Balsam Zitron in a half-liter bottle. Gölles lemon seasoning for the pantry.

Balsam Zitron in the 500-ml bottle is the pantry size of the Riegersburg lemon seasoning: more than half lemon juice, the rest balsamic wine vinegar, naturally cloudy. Designed for kitchens that use acid daily. No substitute for lemons in baking, no pure vinegar.

Balsam Zitron is a seasoning by Gölles, in which 51 percent pure-pressed lemon juice meets 49 percent balsamic wine vinegar. The half-liter bottle is aimed at everyone who uses lemon not as an exception, but as a base note. Anyone who finishes fish, salad, or vegetables with a splash of acid on many evenings will quickly empty a small bottle. With the half-liter, the supply remains at hand by the stove for weeks.

Lemon aroma, rounded by grape must

On the palate, Balsam Zitron is fresh and tart, but it lacks the sharpness of a pure-pressed lemon. The balance is provided by the balsamic wine vinegar, a white wine vinegar with reduced grape juice. It places a subtle sweetness beneath the fruit.

In the nose, the seasoning reminds of a good lemon lemonade, the vinegar remains in the background. The overall picture resembles a ripe, juicy lemon and not an unripe one. On the finish, the fruit lingers for a long time.

Anyone who wants to avoid any trace of sweetness, for example for a very dry dressing, will find the seasoning too soft. Then a classic oak-barrel white wine vinegar is the more suitable choice.

Marinades for barbecue evenings, buffets, and lunches

The half-liter bottle plays to its strength in larger quantities. For a fish marinade for six people, mix 100 ml of seasoning with 150 ml of olive oil, fresh thyme, and two cloves of garlic. Sea bream fillets or shrimp lie in it for 15 minutes, then it goes on the grill.

A couscous or lentil salad for the buffet needs about 4 to 5 tbsp per kilo, plus plenty of mint and parsley. Baked vegetables of zucchini and pepper get a tablespoon over them after cooking. For a large bowl of fruit salad, 2 tbsp per kilo of fruit are sufficient.

Even a Mediterranean-style potato salad with capers, olives, and red onions benefits from a splash. Steamed broccoli or green beans get more freshness with a spoonful of seasoning and some butter, without having to cut a lemon.

Interesting for the food industry: Gölles also recommends the seasoning as a drinking vinegar. A splash on ice, filled with soda water, results in a tart-fresh homemade lemonade without added sugar.

From experience: The fruit pulp sinks to the bottom over time, so shake before every use. For a first introduction, there is the 250 ml sample bottle.

From lemon seasoning to Balsam Zitron

Balsam Zitron belongs to the creative vinegars at Gölles, a line with which the house launched in 1996. At its introduction, it was still called lemon seasoning, the new name reveals the balsamic content. Alois Gölles had built up the manufactory from 1979 based on his father's fruit-growing operation.

A balsamic wine vinegar is, by the way, not an Aceto Balsamico from Modena. The term describes a wine vinegar that reduced grape juice makes sweeter and milder. Gölles combines it here with natural lemon juice from the area around Murcia in southeast Spain, without concentrate and without flavorings. This preserves the fragrant notes of the fresh juice.

The cloudiness comes from the lemon juice, it is not filtered. In the standing bottle, it settles at the bottom over time. With five percent acidity, the seasoning is as sour as a regular table vinegar, but thanks to the juice and grape must, it acts significantly gentler.

According to the manufacturer, neither aromas nor colorings or preservatives are added to the bottle. There are exactly two ingredients on the label: lemon juice and balsamic wine vinegar.

A half-liter for kitchens with a high lemon requirement

The advantage of the large bottle lies in the consistent result over many weeks. Fresh lemons fall out juicy or dry depending on the season, the seasoning remains constant. For restaurant kitchens, caterers, and large families, this predictability is a real argument.

Because Balsam Zitron is legally considered a seasoning, the bottle bears a best-before date. Opened, it is best kept in the refrigerator. For guests who generally do not like vinegar, it is not suitable, because the balsamic content remains noticeable. For home cooks who stand at the stove daily, the half-liter on the other hand makes a long-lasting joy as a gift.

A half-liter of lemon with balsamic, enough for many weeks full of fish, salad, and vegetables that get a light tone at the end.