vanilla
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What is vanilla?
Vanilla refers to a group of tropical, climbing orchids from the genus Vanilla, as well as the flavoring extracted from their pods. The vanilla bean, which is the fruit of the plant, is commercially important for its extract, which is used as a flavoring.
The main species of vanilla are Mexican or Bourbon vanilla (Vanilla planifolia), Tahiti vanilla (V. tahitensis), and occasionally West Indian vanilla (V. pompona). All three are believed to have come from a single species native to Mexico, Central America, and northern South America.
The fresh vanilla fruits have no aroma until they are cured. The traditional curing method involves sweating and sun exposure for about 10 days, until the beans turn deep chocolate brown. Curing and drying can take four to five months.
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Where does the vanilla plant grow?
The vanilla plant, particularly Vanilla planifolia, thrives in tropical regions. It's native to Mexico, Central America, and northern South America. Today, the primary vanilla-growing areas include Madagascar, Mexico, French Polynesia, Réunion, Dominica, Indonesia, the West Indies, Seychelles, and Puerto Rico. The plant, a climbing vine, grows from sea level up to about 600 meters in elevation. The vanilla extract from its pods flavors a variety of sweet foods and beverages, such as chocolate, ice cream, and baked goods.
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How is vanilla harvested from the plant?
Vanilla beans develop their characteristic aroma through curing after harvesting. The traditional curing method involves a nightly sweating process and daily sun exposure for about 10 days, until the beans turn deep chocolate brown. Next, the beans are spread on trays in an airy shelter to dry for four to five months until they are ready for grading and packing.
The best quality cured seed pods are covered with vanillin crystals, providing a rich, sweet aroma. Cured pods contain around 2% vanillin, along with vanillic acid, oleoresin, sugar, gum, calcium oxalate, alcohols, aldehydes, and esters, which contribute to the fragrance and flavor.
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How is vanilla flavoring made from vanilla beans?
Fresh vanilla beans lack aroma until they undergo curing, a process of nightly sweating and daily sun exposure for about 10 days, until they turn deep chocolate brown. Next, the beans are spread on trays in airy shelters until they are dry enough to be graded and packed. Curing and drying takes 4–5 months.
The best quality pods often develop a coating of vanillin crystals, which indicates quality. Vanilla extract is made by crushing cured, dried vanilla beans and extracting them with alcohol, while vanilla flavoring is made from oleoresin vanilla, a dark, semi-solid concentration of vanilla extract, alcohol, and water. Imitation vanilla is made from commercially synthesized vanillin.
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What are the differences between natural and artificial vanilla flavoring?
Natural vanilla flavoring comes from cured vanilla beans, typically of the Vanilla planifolia species. The curing process develops vanilla's characteristic aroma and can take months. The best beans develop a coating of vanillin crystals, which is a sign of quality. Extracting the flavor involves crushing the cured beans and using alcohol.
Artificial vanilla flavoring, on the other hand, is made using synthetically produced agents to mimic the natural flavor. For example, imitation vanilla extract can be made with synthetic vanillin, glycerol, water, and caramel coloring.
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Why is vanilla considered one of the most expensive spices in the world?
Vanilla is one of the most expensive spices because of the labor-intensive cultivation and curing processes. Fresh vanilla "beans" lack aroma, which only appears after curing. The traditional curing method involves nightly sweating and daily sun exposure for about 10 days, until the beans turn deep chocolate brown. Afterward, the beans are spread on trays in an airy shelter until they are dry enough for grading and packing. Curing and drying take four to five months.
The best quality cured seed pods are covered with vanillin crystals, providing a rich, sweet aroma. Vanilla bean is the long capsular fruit of a vanilla plant, especially Vanilla planifolia, and is an important article of commerce.
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vanilla, (genus Vanilla), any member of a group of tropical climbing orchids (family Orchidaceae) and the flavoring agent extracted from their pods. The vanilla beans of commerce are the cured unripe fruit of Mexican or Bourbon vanilla (Vanilla planifolia), Tahiti vanilla (V. tahitensis), and occasionally West Indian vanilla (V. pompona); all three species are thought to be derived from a single species native to Mexico, Central America, and northern South America. Vanilla had been used to flavor xocoatl, the chocolate beverage of the Aztecs, centuries before the Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés drank it at Montezuma’s court, and soon afterward vanilla became popular in Europe. Today it is used in a variety of sweet foods and beverages, particularly chocolate, confections, ice cream, and baked goods, and in perfumery.
- Kingdom: Plantae
- Division: Angiosperm
- Order: Asparagales
- Family: Orchidaceae
- Genus: Vanilla
See also list of plants in the family Orchidaceae and list of herbs and spices.
Physical description
Vanilla plants have a long, fleshy climbing stem that attaches to trees by aerial rootlets; the roots also penetrate the soil. Numerous flowers open a few at a time and last a single day during the blooming season, which lasts about two months. Because of their dainty structure, the blossoms can be naturally pollinated only by certain small bees; in areas outside of the pollinators’ range, the flowers are pollinated artificially with a wooden needle as soon as they open. The flowers vary in color from pale green to yellow to creamy white. The fruit, a long capsule, reaches its full length of about 20 cm (8 inches) in four to six weeks but may take up to nine months to mature. As soon as they turn golden green at the base, the unripe pods are harvested.
Curing and processing
Fresh vanilla fruits, often called “beans,” have no aroma. The characteristic aroma results from enzymatic action during curing. The traditional method begins with subjecting the harvested beans to a process of nightly sweating and daily exposure to the sun for about 10 days, until they become deep chocolate brown in color. Then the beans are spread on trays in an airy shelter until dry enough for grading and packing. Curing and drying requires from four to five months. The best grade of cured seed pods are usually covered with tiny crystals of vanillin, which provide the characteristic rich and sweet aroma. This coating, known as givre, may be used as a criterion of quality.
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Vanillin is not naturally present in the fleshy exterior of the pod but is secreted by hairlike papillae in its lining and ultimately becomes diffused through the viscid, oily liquid surrounding the seeds. The cured pods contain about 2 percent vanillin; other organic constituents include vanillic acid (odorless), oleoresin, sugar, gum, calcium oxalate, alcohols, aldehydes, and esters contributing to the full fragrance and flavor. Tahiti beans are reddish brown in color, of less full flavor than the Mexican or Bourbon product, and contain a small amount of heliotropin, or piperonal, which characterizes their flavor.
Vanilla extract is prepared by crushing the cured dried vanilla beans and extracting with alcohol. Vanilla flavor is made from oleoresin vanilla, a dark semisolid concentration of vanilla extract, and alcohol and water. Imitation vanilla is made from commercially synthesized vanillin.