bout de papier, Vol. 29, No. 3 (2016), pp. 40–41
Food is arguably one of the world’s most important and ubiquitous diplomatic tools. Many items we eat and drink have a storied past, political importance or trade significance.
This column explores one food, drink or ingredient at a time.
VANILLA: When someone talks about something being “vanilla,” they are usually describing something as being common or boring. But just because vanilla is ubiquitous, it is definitely not boring. I love it so much that I routinely double or triple the amount in baking (and have yet to hear a single complaint). Like salt, sometimes you won’t know it’s there, but you’d definitely notice if it were missing.
Vanilla is derived from the fruit of orchid originating in Mexico. It is such a demanding plant that only one type of bee can pollinate it and it only begins producing vanilla beans after three years. When the orchid was transported abroad to countries like Tahiti, Madagascar and Indonesia, it had to be hand-pollinated (and quickly – within 12 hours of flowering) because that bee is not in their ecosystems. After six months of growing, the bean needs to be hand-picked at a perfect stage of ripeness. And of course, they don’t ripen all at the same time, so the plants have to be inspected daily. As a result, vanilla can be a mighty expensive flavouring. Storms like Cyclones Hudah (2000) and Gafilo (2004) in Madagascar have a huge effect on prices. Remember, even though it ends up in a bottle, it starts as a plant.
If you use vanilla with any kind of regularity, you’ve no doubt heard the term “Madagascar Bourbon vanilla”. I’ve got news for you. There’s no bourbon in there. The name refers to where the bean was grown; the Bourbon islands, which include the French island of Réunion, Madagascar, Comoro and Seychelle. Researching this article, I was surprised to learn from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN that Indonesia produced slightly more than Madagascar in 2013, the latest year for available statistics. Together, they formed a vanilla powerhouse, far exceeding any other countries like Mexico, Papua New Guinea and…
China! The U.S. consumes a huge part of the global supply, with Europe consuming most of the rest.
Vanilla is so popular that it even has an imitator. You may remember vanillin from university chemistry class. It smells nice, but it tastes like… well, fake vanilla. Saving a few bucks that way is a mistake. Trust me. The flavour profile of the real thing differs according to where the vanilla was grown. Just like wine, vanilla takes on certain characteristics according to the terroir. Nielsen Massey gives a nice write up of each of its vanillas on its website: Mexican is “sweet and woody”, Tahitian is “floral, fruity and cherry-like” and Madagascar is “sweet, creamy and mellow”. And it’s not just hype. I have a collection of vanilla at home it just happened, I swear) and the vanilla produced in the Caribbean tastes very different than the one I picked up in the Mexico City airport or the vanilla from the grocery store I most frequently use from Madagascar.
Cook’s Illustrated calls vanilla a “flavour potentiator,” meaning it enhances other flavours. According to their 2009 testing, the Awesome of real vanilla over vanillin bakes off at 280-300F, so they claim that while it’s worthwhile to use the real stuff in unheated situations (like when you add it after caramel sauce or pudding is taken off the stove or in frosting), it may not be so worthwhile to use it in baked cookies or cakes. I must respectfully disagree. You’ll not find vanillin in my pantry.
If a recipe calls for a scraped vanilla bean, take a sharp knife and make a slit down the length of the bean, holding onto one end with a finger. Turn the knife over so you are using the unsharpened side of the blade and scrape the opened bean in one long motion. The empty pod can be placed in a jar of sugar to make vanilla sugar, popular in parts of Europe. It’s also easy to make your own vanilla extract (the black liquid vanilla you buy at the grocery store): place whole beans in a narrow bottle and pour rum or vodka over them. Let steep a few weeks; replenish alcohol as needed. Bam! Homemade vanilla-y deliciousness. Go ahead and brag about it.
The Best Whipped Cream Ever
The Best Whipped Cream Ever
This is the easiest method I’ve found, creating the fewest dirty dishes.
This is a great way to show off the beautiful flavour of whatever real vanilla extract you have on hand. It mimics the pillowy richness of the whipped cream you get in European restaurants because of the powdered (icing) sugar. All ingredient amounts can be adjusted to your preference.
I cup whipping cream (35%)
2 tbsp icing sugar, or more according to your liking. I tsp vanilla Pour all ingredients into a stand mixer bowl and beat on high for several minutes, until soft peaks form (not too long or you’ll have sweetened butter instead of whipped cream).
You can beat by hand with a whisk if you need an exceptionally hard workout, or put the ingredients in a mason jar with a tight-fitting lid and shake! Goes great on desserts or on hot chocolate.
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Originally published in bout de papier, Vol. 29, No. 3 (2016), pp. 40–41. Read the rest of this issue →
