The Vanilla Bean
The vanilla bean is an ingredient that is seldom used although many know the taste. Vanilla flavoring comes from the vanilla bean, a thin pod of the Vanilla genus, native to Mesoamerica and spreading to Europe by explorers.
Many attempted to migrate the plant, although pollination was very difficult because the plant requires the Melipona bee to carry the pollen. Soon hand pollination was discovered, and the vanilla bean flourished globally.
Varieties
There are four major varieties of Vanilla all native to Mesoamerica and Mexico.
Bourbon Vanilla -- Also known as Bourbon-Madagascar vanilla produced from the Vanilla planifolia plant. This variety is from the Indian Ocean islands, commonly Madagascar. The beans have creamy sweet flavors.
Mexican Vanilla – This variety is also from the Vanilla planifolia plant. Mexican beans have a more spicy flavors. Be careful for imitators that blend tonka bean extract to reduce costs. The extract has been proved to cause liver damage in lab animals. Although the FDA has banned this extract, you can still find it sold out of Mexico.
Tahitian Vanilla – This variety is from French Polynesia from the Vanilla tahitiensis plant. The plant was introduced from the Phillippines. These beans are fruity sometimes with flavors of cherry.
West Indian Vanilla – Beans are from the Vanilla pompona plant grown in the Caribbean, Central, and South America. These beans are creamy and slightly fruity.
Grading
Once the vanilla beans are picked, they are graded based on quality. Because the length of the pod directly relates to the vanilla flavor, you can generally assume longer beans are more flavorful.
- Grade A – Beans are 15 cm. and longer. These can also be called gourmet or prime beans. Moisture content is 30-35%.
- Grade B – Beans range from 10-15 cm. Also called extract beans. Moisture content is 15-25%.
- Grade C – Any beans that are 10 cm. or less.
Here is a video of people harvesting vanilla.
