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Vanilla Beans Tahitian (Vanilla Plainfolia) Vanilla Beans, (Vanilla Planifolia) are the seed of the climbing orchid, originally from Southern Mexico. When the Spanish arrived in Central and South America the Aztecs were already using Vanilla as a flavoring agent. The Spanish brought Vanilla Beans back to Europe where the spice soon became a luxury item. Vanilla Beans Indonesian Vanilla Beans (Vanilla Plainfolia) are the seed of the climbing orchid, originally from Southern Mexico where they grow wild. When the Spanish arrived in Central and South America the Aztecs were already using Vanilla as a flavoring agent for drinks. Europe entrepreneurs tried to establish commercial plantations in the far east from samples of the wild Mexican Orchids. The initial attempt were unsuccessful due to lack of pollination. The solution was discovered on the Island of Reunion in the Indian Ocean. A slender piece of bamboo was used to lift away a membrane that allowed a worker to smear pollen bearing stamens against the pistils. This technique is still used today. Indonesian Vanilla Beans have a rich sweet flavor and are the thinnest bean of the Vanilla Bean daily.
Description Vanilla is the fully grown fruit of the orchid Vanilla fragrans. Vanilla is indigenous to South-Eastern Mexico, Gautemala and other parts of Central America, growing wild as a climber in the forests. Vanilla cultivation on a systematic basis began with the introduction of it into Java, Seychelles, Tahiti, Comoro Islands, Martinique, Madagascar, Uganda etc. in the 19th century and early part of the 20th century. At present Malagasy Republic is the major producer of vanilla. It was introduced in India in 1835. It is now cultivated in very limited areas in Kerala, Karnataka and Tamilnadu.
Botany Vanilla is a fleshy, herbaceous perennial vine, climbing by means of adventitious roots on trees or other supports. The roots are long, whitish, aerial, about 2mm in diameter and are produced singly opposite the leaves. The roots at the base ramify in the humus or mulch layer. The long, cylindrical, monopodial stem (1-2 cm dia) is simple or branched, succulent and brittle. It is dark green and photosynthetic with stomata. The internodes are 5-15 cm in length. Large, flat, fleshy, subsessile leaves are alternate, oblong-elliptic to lanceolate and are 8-25 cm long and 2-8 cm broad. The veins are numerous, parallel and indistinct. The petiole is short and thick. They are borne toward the top of the vine and are 5-8 cm long with upto 20-30 flowers, opening from the base upwards. The flowers are large, waxy, fragrant, pale greenish-yellow and are about 10 cm in diameter. Pedicel short, tricarpillary ovary inferior, cylindrical, sepals three, oblong-lanceolate, obtuse to subacute, slightly reflexed at the apex. Two upper petals resemble the sepals in shape. The lower petal is modified as a trumpet-shaped labellum or lip. The tip of the lip is obscurely three-lobed and is irregularly toothed on its revolute margin. Dark coloured papillae form a crest in the median line. The gynostemium is long, hairy on the inner surface, bearing at its tip the single stamen. The concave sticky stigma is separated from the stamen by a thin, flap-like rostellum because of which self pollination is impossible. The fruit is a pendulous, narrowly cylindrical and obscurely three-angled capsule, known as bean. It contains ripe myriads of very minute globose seeds of about 0.3 mm in diameter. Distribution Vanilla is strictly tropical in its requirements. It thrives well in hot and humid climate, from sea level to an elevation of about 900 m. A temperature range of 10-30oC and an annual rainfall of 150-250 cm are its optimum requirements. It grows well in well-drained sandy loams and alluvial and laterite soils having plenty of organic matter. It requires light shade and support for climbing and putting forth satisfactory growth. It is generally propagated through shoot cuttings, planted at a spacing of 2.5 m either way, in pits measuring 45 x 30 x 30 cm. Cultivation Vanilla is harvested when the pods are mature and split longitudinally. Fresh beans get the characteristic aroma due to enzymatic action during curing. The enzyme b-glucosidase act on the precursor glucovanillin which result in the harvested beans are subjected to a process of nightly sweating and daily exposure to the sun for about 10 days until they become deep chocolate-brown in colour. Then they are spread on trays in an airy shelter until dry enough for grading. The best grade may be covered with tiny crystals of vanillin. This coating is known as givre. Aroma and flavour The fragrance and flavour of vanilla is due to numerous compounds produced during the curing process, among which vanillin is the most abundant. Other compounds are vanillic acid and an oleoresin. Culinary, medicinal and other use Vanilla is world's most popular flavourant for numerous sweetened foods, several commercial food products, liquors, perfumes etc. Vanilla extracts or essence are extracted with alcohol and contains the aroma and flavour principles and sweetening, thickening agents. They are widely used as a flavouring par excellence for ice creams, soft drinks, chocolates, confectionary, candy, tobacco, baked foods, puddings, cakes, cookies, liquors, and in perfumery. Vanilla sugar is a mixture of vanilla extracts and sugar. Vanilla tincture is used for pharmaceutical uses. Of late technical grade vanillin is used as a chemical intermediate in the production of a number of pharmaceutical products.
Using
Vanilla pods
Vanilla Beans There are many species of vanilla thriving around the world; about 110 species have been catalogued since the discovery of vanilla. The plant that produces the vanilla bean is an orchid. The family to which the species belongs is Orchidaceae, one of the largest families of flowering plants in the world. There are 700 genera in the family Orchidaceae and approximately 20,000 species.
Make Your Own Vanilla Extract Split five vanilla beans lengthwise down the center to expose the seeds, keeping the ends of the beans intact. Place beans in a pint of high-quality vodka, rum or brandy. Store in a cool, dark place such as a cupboard or closet for at least four weeks. Shake the bottle several times a week.
To use, either remove four of the beans for another purpose (you can add them with a fresh bean to make more extract, or you can use them for cooking), or let all the beans remain in the bottle, and periodically, add more alcohol to keep the bottle replenished. Eventually the beans will lose their strength but they should contain flavor for many months.
Vanilla Curing Vanilla is made by drying and curing the green, tasteless pod from a tropical, climbing orchid that is indigenous to South America. The curing process takes up to 3 months and by the time it is completed, a Vanilla Bean may have been handled from between 200 to 250 times!
Tahitian Vanilla Tahitian vanilla the generic name for Vanilla tahitensis. This variety originates from plant stock taken to Tahiti, which probably mutated in the wild. Now regarded as a different species, it’s appearance and flavour is considerably different to Bourbon vanilla. Tahitian vanilla is sweet and fruity and contains less natural vanillin. It has a floral fragrance and the bean is fatter and moister than Bourbon vanilla.
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