Where does vanilla come from? Why is it soooo expensive? And what is artificial vanilla made of?
Did you know that vanilla comes from a species of orchid? Vanilla beans or seed pods are the resulting fruit from pollination of this species of orchid.
Originally vanilla production was limited to the Americas, as this orchid had just one natural pollinator, a specific bee. Methods of hand pollination were implemented as a way to grow vanilla outside of the Americas.
Today, with hand pollination, the majority of the world's vanilla beans come from the islands of the Indian Ocean, Bourbon vanilla (from Bourbon Island, not made with bourbon), or Madagascar vanilla (from Madagascar and neighboring islands). Other sources of modern day vanilla still include Mexico, as well as the Tahitian Islands, and the West Indies.
Vanilla is a costly spice/flavoring, second only to saffron, due to the labor-intensive process of artificially pollinating the blossoms.
Because of this high cost, artificial vanilla flavors are commonly found in many commercially baked goods.
The most common consumer artificial vanilla flavoring contains a form of vanillin, synthesized from a natural polymer found in wood. It's a synthetic flavor. In addition, artificial vanilla flavoring often contains coloring, for which the label does not need to specify this coloring's origin (often simply called "caramel coloring"), and sugars.
When the label says "natural" flavoring on a vanilla product, does this mean natural vanilla? Or something else?
So, there's this rumor/myth circulating that a natural, vanilla-like flavoring comes from beaver glands and is used in "natural" vanilla flavoring. The castor sacs of beavers produces a secretion that does have a vanilla-like essence. And it has been approved by the FDA to be safe for use in food. However, according to the Vegetarian Resource Group (who thoroughly investigated this), no major vanilla manufacturer in the USA uses this as a source of vanilla flavoring. In years past, it may have been used, but not in today's manufacturing process.
So, what is "natural" vanilla flavoring?
The FDA is very specific about what can be called vanilla extract, and what has to be called vanilla flavoring. Only products made with vanilla beans, alcohol and water can be called vanilla extract. The alcohol-free substitute, made with glycerine and/or propylene glycol, must be called vanilla flavoring. It's still made from natural vanilla, but it's flavor is slightly different from pure vanilla extract.
Vanilla extract is also allowed to contain sugar, dextrose, corn syrup, caramel color and stabilizers. It's these extra ingredients that makes me inclined to favor homemade vanilla extract.
If you are traveling outside the US, all bets are off as to what is in that cheap bottle of "vanilla extract". Other countries do not need to abide by the FDA's regulations, if they are selling their product outside the US. I remember my mom buying "vanilla extract" in Mexico, when we'd go down to Tijuana (I grew up in So. Calif.). She raved over how cheap it was. But who really knows what was in those bottles?
Just to simplify all of this, I prefer to just make my own. That way, I know exactly what it contains. And if I'm not satisfied with it's strength, then I can adjust that myself, at home.
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To make vanilla extract
If I'm gonna go to the trouble of making my own vanilla extract, I want it to be goooooood! Here's how I do it.
To make your own high-quality, pure vanilla extract, you'll need:
a 1-quart glass jar, with plastic lid
12 ounces of vodka (I use bottom-shelf vodka, whatever is cheapest -- and you can fudge a bit on the amount of vodka and use up to 14 ounces per 8 or 9 beans, but it will be of lesser strength)
8 to 10 whole vanilla beans
a sharp knife and cutting board
and, eventually a small, dark glass bottle to decant your finished product
A lot of homemade vanilla isn't much more than vanilla booze. Many online recipes say to pop a vanilla bean into a fifth of vodka and let it sit a month or two. You just can't get enough flavor out of that one vanilla bean. The FDA actually has set standards on what can be called vanilla extract. It's a ratio of about 9 beans for every 12 ounces of vodka. (The amount of beans is set by weight and not count, hence the "about".)
I say, go for the beans! I use 8 beans in 10 to 12 ounces of vodka (however much I have at the time). And I really love the resulting flavor.
If your vanilla does not taste as strong as you like, that's easy to remedy. Simply add another split bean or two, and wait a few weeks. If your vanilla is too strong, then either add less to recipes, or add a bit more vodka to the jar.
And time. You've got to let it infuse for several months. IMO, the best flavor emerges around the 8-month marker. The flavor of the extract is complex and rich at this point. So, if you want vanilla for holiday baking or gifting, now is the time to start.
The process:
You will get the most flavor by exposing a lot of surface area of the pod to the infusing liquid (vodka is my alcohol of choice for making vanilla).
So, using the point of a sharp knife, I first split the pods lengthwise.
Then I scrape out the seeds with the back of the knife blade, and put these scrapings in a quart-size glass jar along with the vodka.
I cut each split pod into 2-inch lengths. Every time you add a cut surface to the vanilla bean, you add the ability to draw out more flavor. (I could chop the beans finely, but I want to be able to fish out the pieces after 2 years.)
Place a lid tightly on the jar and allow to infuse in a dark place. From what I've read, you want to store your vanilla in a dark cupboard to protect the fragile oils from exposure to light (could weaken the strength over time).Start testing your vanilla around the 4th or 5th month. I think the flavor really matures around month 8.
When ready, decant the vanilla, a couple of ounces at a time, into a small dark bottle. (I reuse an old commercial vanilla bottle.)
To make more vanilla:
I leave the beans in the same jar of vodka for 2 years. I add new beans and vodka each year.
To determine which beans are the two-year old ones, I alternate years with my cutting technique.
- On year one, I split the beans, then cut into 2-inch lengths.
- On year two, I split and scrape the beans, but leave them whole.
- On year three, I remove the old 2-inch lengths before adding new 2-inch ones.
I figure that a vanilla pod that is a year old should still have a bit of flavoring left in it, so I leave it to infuse with the new pods.
Don't throw those used pods away! Dry them, and add to a container of granulated sugar. You'll have a mild vanilla-flavored sugar to add to coffee or tea, or to sprinkle over shortbread and other cookies.
Just how high quality of vanilla beans do you need for making extract?
Do you need premium vanilla beans? Nope! (Finally a do-it-yourself project that doesn't require premium anything!) Vanilla beans are graded based on appearance and moisture content. Highest grade vanilla beans don't necessarily have more flavoring potential than lower grade. So, those $10 glass vials at the supermarket, containing one lone vanilla bean may be significantly overpriced for making extract. Go for less expensive beans.
I've been very happy making vanilla extract with less expensive vanilla beans and bottom-shelf vodka for several years.
In my next post, I'll tell you where I get most of my vanilla beans for free, and how you can too (plus a giveaway). And I'll give you a couple of sources for buying quality vanilla beans at a good price. So, stay tuned.
sources for this post include: the website from FDA.gov, wikipedia,The Vegetarian Resource Group
What are your thoughts on home-made vanilla? Do you make your own? Buy pure vanilla extract? Buy artificial vanilla flavoring? Does it matter to you whether vanilla is real or artificial? It is only a teaspoon or so added to recipes. Maybe real or artificial doesn't matter to you. Just wondering what your thoughts are.
