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Because they are so are highly prized, after the bean pods develop on the plants, they are sometimes branded with a distinct pattern of pinpricks (which resemble small, raised bumps) to identify the grower and prevent theft of a valuable crop.
Seven to eight months after pollination, when the tip has turned slightly yellow, but the majority of the bean is still green, the vanilla is ready to be harvested--another labor-intensive hand process. (The beans must be picked before they are fully ripe, or they will split and their market value will depreciate.) |
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It takes another four to six months to properly cure the vanilla beans, a process that is crucial to their quality. The first step is to plunge the beans in hot water, and then spread them onto mats to dry in the hot sun. Each night, they are wrapped in the mats and stored in drums in a warehouse, where they "sweat." During several weeks of this "sun and sweat" curing process, the beans turn their familiar brown color, and also begin to release their aromatic properties. Next, the beans are moved to mesh racks to dry for another two weeks, after which they are stored in drums for at least three more months to "condition" and fully release their flavor and scent. In the final step, the vanilla beans are sorted and graded according to quality--which takes into account factors such as length, moisture, luster, flexibility, aroma, and color--then tied in bundles and packaged in airtight containers for sale and shipment. Five pounds of vanilla beans are harvested to produce one pound of marketable beans.
Vanilla: things you may not have known Although vanilla was discovered in Mexico by the Spanish conquistadors (who later brought it to Europe), we can credit Thomas Jefferson with introducing vanilla to the United States. He became acquainted with it while serving as an ambassador to France, and shortly after his return to the States in 1789, wrote his French attaché to request that some vanilla pods be sent to him. Within a short amount of time, its popularity here became widespread for use as a flavoring, a medicine, and an aphrodisiac. |
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As early as the 1700s, physicians and alchemists recommended that men drink a vanilla tincture or infusion to ensure male potency. It's reported that in 1762, a German physician, Bezaar Zimmermann, claimed that, "No fewer than 342 impotent men, by drinking vanilla decoctions, had changed into astonishing lovers of at least as many women." (In defense of Dr. Zimmermann, more recent scientific testing seems to support his findings. Dr. Alan Hirsch, a neurologist with the Smell and Taste Treatment and Research Foundation in Chicago, performed tests to discover the connection between smell and sexual arousal, and found that mature men responded most to one simple scent--vanilla.) Back in the 1700s, while men were drinking the vanilla, women were utilizing it in other ways--hanging it in their homes, wearing the pods in their hats, and rubbing the oil from the drying vanilla beans on their skin. When vanilla extracts were introduced in the late 19th century, many women used it as a perfume, applying a few drops to their wrists or behind their ears to exude an innocent, yet sensual, overtone. The appeal of vanilla is still strong today--the beans provide many culinary products that are used in cooking and baking, its scent is a popular ingredient in perfumes and scented products, and it has taken on numerous other uses. » What is Vanilla? |
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