Vanilla is a highly aromatic spice used in commercial and domestic bakeries as well as industries to produce sweets and cosmetics and is the second most expensive in the world.
It can be sold as a pod, extract, or essence. Vanilla pods are derived from the Vanilla orchid, native to the Veracruz region of Mexico.
There are three varieties of vanilla pods: planifolia, tahitensis, and pompona. The most common is planifolia, better known as the Bourbon of Madagascar.
Vanilla pods usually are ready for harvesting after nine months from flowering and pollination.
After harvest, they are cured using two main traditional forms in Mexico, sun-wilting and oven-wilting procedures.
Top quality pods or beans are long, fleshy, supple, very dark brown to black in color, somewhat oily in appearance, strongly aromatic, and free from scars and imperfections. If you manage to make a small knot in the pod, it is a sign of freshness, and inside it will be soft and juicy.
Life would be vanilla ice cream without 31 flavors of individuality.
-Heather King
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Vanilla Been
On the contrary, low-quality beans are usually hard, dry, thin, brown, or reddish-brown in color and possess a poor aroma.
The grains in the pods that are scraped and used in recipes are responsible for the spice’s unique flavor and aromas. During the curing process, a natural fermentation occurs, causing the seeds to turn black and with a concentrated perfume. The pod can also be used in recipes after scraping the seeds by mixing them with the hot liquid to extract most of their flavor.
The vanilla extract is from the dry pod after it is crushed and mixed with alcohol.
Due to the natural vanilla bean’s high cost, most commercial vanilla flavored products use vanilla essence, a synthetic lignin product obtained from coniferyl alcohol, a substance present in pine wood.
Vanilla pod, extract, or essence usage will depend on how much you are willing to spend and how you will use it.
The authentic Crème Brûlée is made using a vanilla pod. If you see tiny black seeds in the desert, you will know you are tasting the real recipe.
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I hope this article has helped you to improve your pastry skills. To learn more, take a look at Cheesecake: How To Make A Classical New Yorker Dessert
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