During our Taste of Monterey Tasting this afternoon, Jake and I had Applewood Bacon-Wrapped Dates - stuffed with bleu cheese and drizzled with Saba. One of my readers questioned: What is saba? Japanese for mackerel but I'm assuming that's not what was drizzled over the food. Just curious! Good question! I was so busy stuffing my face, I didn't pay attention to the fact that I had no idea what I was eating. Saba. So, I did some research. Here's what I found... Saba is basically balsamic before it becomes balsamic — in Ancient Rome it was known as defrutum or sapa . The name 'cooked grape juice' sums it up: the juice is cooked slowly until reduced by a third or more so it becomes concentrated and slightly caramelized. It was delicious! Now I just need to figure out where I can buy some because I must replicate this appetizer. Stat.