What is vanilla (aroma)?
Vanilla is a flavoring derived from the fruit of the climbing orchid of the genus Vanilla. The name comes from the Spanish word "vainilla", the reduced form of "vaina" (meaning "sheath" or "piece of cake"), originally the Latin "vagina" (meaning "sheath")
Vanilla Flavoring
The vanilla orchid (Vanilla planifolia) provides the spice vanilla (sticks), which is processed not only in food but also include tobacco and perfume (it's an aphrodisiac). The plant is native to Mexico, though now almost everywhere is grown between the tropics. Madagascar is one of the largest producers of vanilla.
The fruits of the plant (which look like pods, but botanically actually berries) are picked unripe and moist heat, then slowly dried, resulting in a fermentation process. This changes the immature non-aromatic fruit in a black and shiny vanilla bean with a delicate scent and flavor. The vanillin is responsible, an odoriferous substance that can be seen as fine crystal needles (givre) on the outside of the stick. When a vanilla pod in half lengthways cut, you see small seeds inside, called vanilla marrow. Black in color and very aromatic. Vanilla very good quality Bourbon Vanilla from Réunion formerly called Bourbon.
History
Vanilla was a well-known flavor in Mesoamerica in the time before Columbus, and was brought to Europe by Spanish conquistadors. In ancient Mexico were the Totonac, in the region now known as Veracruz, considered as producers of the best vanilla. They remained the main producers of the flavoring until the 19th century.
From the beginning of the 19th century, vanilla was cultivated in Europe and its colonial territories, but the plants did not bear fruit here. Eventually one discovers that the reason was that in the original areas, the flowers were pollinated by a local living bee. In other areas not suitable pollinators are present and die wear the flowers without fruit. Only after it was discovered how the artificial flowers, hand, can be pollinated the vanilla could be extracted outside Mexico.
The largest consumer of natural vanilla is Coca-Cola. When it was introduced in 1985, the "New Coke", the Malagasy economy collapsed. The reason was that, in the "New Coke" vanillin, a cheaper synthetic substitute, was used. The use of real vanilla ran during this period by more than half. Only after the new Coke was removed from the range scrambled up the economy.
Chemistry
Although there are many different substances in vanilla, vanillin is the most important flavoring substance that allows for the typical strong odor. Because real vanilla is quite expensive and the world production of natural vanilla nowhere near enough to cover the requirement is spurious synthetic vanillin. This will include use of lignin from wood (usually wood waste from the paper industry) or clove oil. The fragrance of cloves consists essentially of the oily liquid eugenol, which can be converted into vanillin. Also, eugenol may be prepared synthetically. Besides vanillin is often used it three times stronger tasting ethyl vanillin.
In most supermarkets vanilla essence for sale in small bottles. This is artificial vanillin. Vanilla extract the other hand, is a natural product. Here, the natural flavors of vanilla bean dissolved in alcohol. In America and England used a lot of this "natural vanilla extract." This product can be mimicked by split vanilla sticks to let several weeks in vodka.
Vanilla essence is used with drops of vanilla extract with teaspoons.
Use
The aroma of vanilla cream, cake, pie and other foods can be obtained by adding some synthetic vanilla or vanilla pods cooking. A stronger aroma can be achieved by the pods to be cut open longitudinally, making it very tasteful pith is released from the interior of the pods. Quality vanilla has a strong tasting / smelling aroma, but to foods is usually synthetic vanillin, or vanilla added of lower quality because it is much cheaper.
Vanilla sugar
What is vanilla sugar?, Vanilla sugar is sugar with vanilla flavor. Usually, this taste comes from synthetic vanillin and would actually be called vanillin sugar. Vanilla sugar may also be made of natural vanilla or a mixture of synthetic with (some) real vanilla. Vanilla sugar is made by adding to the vanillin sugar. In the combination with the aroma of vanilla sugar is more powerful.
As natural vanilla flavoring contains much more than just vanillin, there is a taste difference between vanilla sugar or vanillin from vanilla pods.
Vanilla sugar can be easily made by mixing 2 grams of vanillin with 100 g caster sugar. Vanilla sugar with vanilla pods can be prepared from vanilla beans to stop with caster sugar in a pot, over time will pull the vanilla smell in the sugar.
Derived meanings
Because vanilla is one of the main flavors of ice cream, and often is the cheapest, the term has vanilla in English given an extra meaning, 'conventional' basic 'or' no bells and whistles. "When in the financial world speaks a vanilla structure, we mean a very simple transaction basis, preferably without additional derivatives. Sex with vanilla soft tender sex is meant ..