Types of Vanilla
There are different species of vanilla plant. Learn about the properties
of the two main vanilla species.
Vanilla planifolia is the most common species of vanilla. It's
grown in India, Indonesia, Mexico, and Guatemala. It's also the species
used for "Bourbon" vanilla from the islands of Madagascar,
Reunion, and the Comoros.
This
species of vanilla has a strong, rich, creamy, sweet, and almost hay-like
aroma. The beans are thick skinned and longer than the Tahitian vanilla
bean. They also contain more seeds than Tahitian vanilla beans..
Tahitian vanilla beans, Vanilla tahitensis, are grown in the
South Pacific. These beans are shorter and plumper than Vanilla planifolia beans
and the have a higher water and oil content, too. Their strong, fruity,
floral aroma is especially prized by European gourmet cooks.
Frontier offers a wide selection of high quality Bourbon and Tahitian vanilla beans, as well as vanilla powder, extracts and flavors.
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Vanilla You Don’t Want to Use
In an effort to cut costs, low-quality products are sold
as vanilla. Learn why coumarin-adulterated vanilla, imitation vanilla,
and vanilla flavor are inferior to pure vanilla extract.
Coumarin-Adulterated Vanilla
Avoid vanilla that has been adulterated with coumarin. Coumarin, derived
from the tonka bean, is inexpensive and shares some constituents with
vanilla. But while it adds a strong vanilla-like aroma, it contributes
little flavor to the product. It's often added to "bargain" vanillas
from Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean.
Coumarin is known to cause liver damage and is a potential carcinogen,
and has been banned as a food ingredient by the US Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) in the United States since 1954. Change last sentence in second
graf to read: Vanilla extract adulterated with coumarin still comes into
this country, usually through Mexico, where it is not illegal.
Imitation Vanilla
Pure vanilla is expensive. In order to make the product more affordable, imitation vanilla was developed. Imitation vanilla is made from artificial flavorings, the two most common sources of which are lignin vanillin, a by-product of the paper industry that is chemically treated to taste like vanilla, and ethyl vanillin, a coal-tar derivative.
Vanilla Flavor (WONF)
This flavor descriptor indicates that the product is made With Other Natural Flavors and means that the product contains other flavor ingredients, usually essential oils and botanical extracts. Any of these blended flavors won't, of course, have the taste profile of real vanilla and synthetic chemical carriers can sometimes be introduced. But even if the additions are natural, at best you have an inferior vanilla that is "boosted" with less expensive components.
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Quick Links
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» Vanilla Products
» Vanilla Recipes
» How to Buy & Store Good Vanilla Beans
» Types of Vanilla
