Her delicate aroma makes you dizzy, the small black dots of her seeds, which are added to mousses, creams and glazes, look so stylish that you can endlessly admire this, and this taste, which is not of this world, makes you close your eyes and enjoy every second. savoring again and again, spoon by spoon …
Where did it come from, when they thought of using it as a spice, and most importantly, why is it so expensive, let’s figure it out in order!
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The first mention of vanilla pods dates back to the middle of the XNUMXth century; it is known that the pods were used as money by the Aztecs. In their writings, information was found that vanilla was added to cocoa drink.
A good quality vanilla pod is usually 10-20 cm long, soft, buttery, elastic, rounded, dark brown or almost black in color.
Experts identify three regions where the highest quality vanilla grows – Madagascar, Mexico and Tahiti, this spice is the second most expensive after saffron and having studied all the stages of its production, it becomes clear why this is so.
Madagascar vanilla, also known as Bourbon (), the most common and has a classic, familiar taste.
Tahitian vanilla is richer in its flavor palette, because has flower and fruit bouquets.
Mexican vanilla is endowed with a spice flavor. This is achieved by certain methods during the fermentation process.
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Much to my surprise, vanilla turned out to be the fruit of orchid flowers. Since the flowers have a very short flowering period, less than a day, the workers of the vanilla plantations walk around the rows of flowers and pollinate them every day. The vanilla pods are cut unripe, green and begin long processing.
At the first stage, the pods are scalded with boiling water, laid out on fabric covers and covered, left to “rest” for a day and thus stop the ripening process and start the fermentation process.
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At the second stage, vanilla is dried in the open sun for 4-5 hours a day, and then wrapped in blankets so that the pods keep the temperature gained from the sun, they are hidden in the room. This process takes approximately 30 days.
The third stage – the pods continue the fermentation process for another month in the shade, in a well-ventilated room. As the vanilla matures, the pod becomes seven times thinner and takes on its final color.
During the last two weeks of fermentation, daily, rub each pod with your fingers so that the pod is straightened and even.
The finished vanilla is calibrated and packaged. The entire process from flower to pod takes about 10 months.
As we can see, the process is quite long and laborious, all work is done by hand, which makes the vanilla pod very expensive.
However, there are other vanilla-based products available to us on the market and now a little about them.
Natural vanilla extract
This product is obtained by infusing vanilla pods in a mixture of alcohol and water. Also, the extract can contain such substances as sugar, glycerin, propylene glycol, dextrose and / or corn syrup. Check the label: the fewer of these additives, the better.
Vanilla paste
Packaged in cans and is a mixture of crushed pods and extract, as well as sugar, water and a natural thickener. Vanilla paste is very popular among pastry chefs because there is no need to cut and scrape the seeds that are used in the preparation of products.
Vanilla powder
It is obtained by spraying vanilla extract onto starch. Equivalently replaces vanilla extract when used.
Vanilla sugar
The manufacturing process is identical to vanilla powder, but the sugar has a less concentrated flavor.
Synthetic vanillin
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This is what you most often find on the shelves of our supermarkets. It is a purely synthetic product that is synthesized from guaiacola (an organic substance of the class of phenols), as well as from lignin – a component of wood, which is a by-product of the pulp and paper industry.
The use of vanillin these days is large-scale and how sad it is to realize that we use most of the products with its synthetic substitute. But we always have the right to make a choice, the main thing is to be informed and use this information!