Generality
In common parlance, vanilla means a product of plant origin that has unique organoleptic and taste characteristics of its kind.
The plants that produce vanilla beans are Mexican orchids belonging to the Vanilla genus; the best-known species is the planifolia, or the flat-leaf species (binomial nomenclature Vanilla planifolia ).
The term "vanilla" comes from the Spanish; more precisely it originates from the diminutive of the noun "vaina", which means pod (vanilla = small pod). In fact, the term vanilla can refer to the plant, its fruits or the spice derived from them.
Already in the pre-Columbian era, the Mesoamerican peoples cultivated vanilla in dedicated plots, similar to vineyards, suitable for its characteristics of a climbing plant ( Tlilxochitl in Aztec); the merit of the discovery of vanilla (but also of cocoa), and the relative spread from America to Europe, is attributable to the Spanish conqueror Hernan Cortés (1520 AD).
Initially, the foreign cultivation of vanilla was rather difficult. For the production of the pod (fruit) it is indeed necessary to pollinate, which - in the absence of specific insects - is not likely to occur. Only in the middle of the 9th century was the technique of manual pollination of flowers discovered, which allowed the vanilla culture to be expanded globally.
The three types of vanilla currently grown worldwide are all of Mesoamerican origin. Of the planifolia, the most common Subspecies is the fragrans or "Vanilla Bourbon" (produced in Madagascar, Indonesia, Réunion and other tropical areas of the south western Indian Ocean), but we must not forget the Mexican Vanilla (same subspecies but which, being produced in the native land, it is also known as "Original Vanilla"). The other two species of vanilla spread around the globe are: Vanilla tahitensis (located in the southern Pacific Ocean) and Vanilla pompona (especially in the West Indies, Central and South America).
After saffron, vanilla is the second most expensive spice in the world, as its production is quantitatively unprofitable and still requires a lot of labor.
Food use
NATURAL vanilla is commercially available in 4 distinct forms:
- Whole pod
- Vanilla powder (powdered dried berry mixed with sugar, starch and other ingredients)
- Vanilla extract (in alcohol or possibly glycerol solution, at least 35%)
- Vanilla sugar (nothing but sugar and vanilla extract)
The flavoring function of vanilla in foods can be obtained by adding the specific extract or by adding the whole pod in cooking liquid products. The effect of the vanilla is enhanced by the longitudinal opening of the pod or by totally extracting the pulp with the seeds. The natural vanilla, being brown in color, gives a brownish hue to the preparations containing it. Although quality requires very little, as often happens, at the industrial level it is preferred to use chemical extracts (less expensive).
Among the most well-known preparations involving the use of vanilla we remember: vanilla ice cream, Catalan cream, vanilla yoghurt, chocolate or caramel or vanilla coffee, etc.
The active ingredient characterizing the aroma of vanilla is vanillin, a phenolic aldehyde. In the food industry, mainly artificial aromatic substances with a similar structure are used, such as ethyl vanillin and methyl vanillin . Ethylvanillin is more expensive but is definitely more intense. It is curious to note how, in a test disclosed by " Cook's Illustrated " magazine, some tasters did not recognize the preparations with real vanilla compared to others with artificial vanilla extract; only in the case of ice cream, the difference seems to be very relevant and perceptible.
A more recent experiment, conducted by the same editorial staff, highlighted the different applicability of artificial vanilla compared to the natural one. For example, good quality artificial vanilla seems more suitable for biscuit recipes, while the real one is suitable for other desserts such as cakes but even more for foods that are not subjected to intense or prolonged heat treatments.
Vanilla is also used to flavor alcoholic beverages such as rum and other products such as cigars.
Vanilla chemistry
The vanilla bean contains many different compounds. The most typical and abundant (as well as the object of extraction) is vanillin ( 4-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzaldehyde ); another minor component, however quite relevant in vanilla essential oil, is piperonal ( heliotropin ), which helps to structure the specific aroma of the pod. Recall that vanillin is found (at different concentrations) also in other plants; one of these is the pine, more precisely its sap. Not surprisingly, towards the end of the 9th century, the natural vanilla industry experienced a large drop in sales.
Today, vanilla essence is available in two distinct forms: real vanilla extract (complicated mixture of molecules such as: acetaldehyde, acetic acid, hexanoic acid, 4-hydroxybenzaldehyde, eugenol, methyl cinnamate and isobutyric acid ) and synthetic essence ( vanillin and ethanol ), produced from various raw materials, for example from guaiacol .
Contraindications
In itself, vanilla does not contain any molecule toxic or harmful to the body, but this does not mean that it is a product to be considered completely safe, especially in the case of its extract.
In some cases, vanilla can seriously harm human health. This circumstance is not attributable to the chemical profile of Vanilla's original pod , but to human intervention on certain derivatives. This is the case of the Mexican vanilla extract, in particular that sold locally (Original Vanilla). Based on what has been ascertained by the control bodies, it is not uncommon (to reduce costs and increase profits) that these products are cut with the "fava tonka" extract. Well, this last plant contains coumarin ( 1-benzopyran-2-one, aromatic molecule), known for its harmful effect on health. Indeed, it has been demonstrated (on guinea pigs) that coumarin has a noticeably toxic effect on liver cells, therefore, in America its presence in food is completely FORBIDDEN. In parallel, in Europe (Switzerland and Germany) a "maximum tolerable daily dose" of coumarin equal to 0.1mg / kg of body weight is accepted, as it is considered not entirely safe for humans. We remind you that all non-European imported foods are strictly controlled and subjected to systematic chemical analysis, which is why vanilla extracts that can be purchased in Italy should NOT contain traces of "tonka bean".
