Saba is a traditional Italian ingredient. The Huffington Post calls Saba “The Secret Ingredient You Need In Your Kitchen” and lately so many of our chefs have asked us about saba. You might even go so far as to say that saba is THE hot new ingredient of 2017!
Which is actually kind of funny because saba is definitely not new. It’s one of the oldest products that still exists in the modern Italian pantry! Saba is just as ancient as anchovy colatura, aka garum.
Just like the Ancient Romans used colatura to add umami to their food, they used saba to add sweetness.
Saba is THE thick, viscous, syrupy ingredient you’ve been waiting for (without any weird additives).
Saba is sweet. It is made from un-aged cooked grapes. That’s 100% Pignoletto grape, for all you mono-varietal grape nerds. Grape is the only ingredient.
Saba is used for both sweet and savory recipes:
-Roasted vegetables (asparagus!)
-Fish glazes (salmon!)
-Meat marinades (it’s BBQ season!)
-It’s also an amazing sugar substitute in all baked goods.
Oh, and David Lebovitz says, pair Saba with “salty cheese, like Pecorino.”