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Vanilla - Worth its New Price?

© Lindsay W. McSweeney

One of the great comforts derived from food is that it provides a refuge from other worlds – political, social, work. However, these worlds sometimes intrude into the culinary world, as we’re seeing now in the dramatic increase in the price of vanilla. The political upheaval in Madagascar –one of the world’s major vanilla producers – is currently limiting vanilla supply and has resulted in a recent 25% price increase. So does vanilla – a pantry staple we’ve all taken for granted – justify its new price?

First, some background. The vanilla bean is the only edible fruit of the orchid family. The vanilla orchid was originally cultivated in Mexico, where Cortez discovered it. Today, most of the world’s vanilla comes from Madagascar and India with Mexico supplying some U.S. requirements. Of 150 types of vanilla orchids, only two plants, “Bourbon” and “Tahitian”, yield commercial vanilla seeds. Vanilla is a very labor-intensive product. The orchid blossoms open only one day a year, and the plant has to be hand pollinated in that short time frame. After harvesting, the vanilla bean flavor must be developed by several months of treatment. So natural vanilla is inherently expensive. Over the last 100 years, there has been a lot of effort to find synthetic vanillas, and, in fact, 97% of all vanilla consumed worldwide is now synthetic.

In the market, there are four types of natural vanilla labeled by geographical origin - “Bourbon” (named for the “Bourbon” islands, not for the liquor), “Mexican”, “Indonesian”, and “Tahitian. There are slight taste variations among these. Most notably, Mexican vanilla has a spicy taste. Tahitian vanilla has less vanilla flavor, is sweeter and fruitier, but is rarer and more expensive.

Whatever the origin, the most common form of natural vanilla found in stores is “vanilla extract”, which is created by soaking the vanilla bean in a solution of 35% ethyl alcohol. You can also find “pure, natural vanilla”, which is vanilla in a glycerin base, and is a reasonable alternative to vanilla “extract” if the use of alcohol is problematic. The other two vanilla products you will find in stores are labeled “vanilla flavoring”, which is a blend of natural and synthetic vanillas, or “imitation vanilla”, which is wholly synthetic. Most imitation vanilla is derived from a by-product of the paper industry called sulfite liquor, or, alternatively, is a coal tar derivative. Finally, less common but available, are whole vanilla beans. Incidentally, “French Vanilla” is not a kind of vanilla, but refers to an egg custard based ice cream.

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