If you have ever been in touch with the baking industry, the thought of “Where does vanilla flavoring come from?” must have crossed your mind. Let’s have a look at what it is and more interesting facts related to it.
What Is Vanilla?
Let’s dig into the basics of vanilla. First off, brush clear of the fact that the vanilla bean is not a bean. Rather, it is the fruit of orchids in the Vanilla category. These orchids are only grown in a very minute subsection of the world – Madagascar.
Every production step is labor-intensive, and the harvesting process, from the pollination to the curing (transforming green vanilla pods into shrunk black beans), is manual! Because of all this, the demand significantly surpasses supply making vanilla stand as the world’s second exteremly expensive spice in the world after saffron.
Importance Of Vanilla Flavoring
What does vanilla bring to the table, and why is it a prized possession? Well, the prime reason is its flavor. The comfort taste of floral, toasty, musky, smoky, and earthy accentuate every dessert, rendering it versatile.
Its caramel texture and richness enhance warm, deep flavors such as that of coffee, hazelnut, chocolate, brown butter, and cinnamon, citrus, hibiscus, rosemary, and berry etc.
Where Does Vanilla Come From?
This question, “where does vanilla flavour come from?” gained its due popularity after a famous documentary proposed about vanilla coming from beaver’s excretions. Well, mainly, the thought behind it is that vanilla has a component castoreum abundantly present in a beaver’s dropping. However, the US FDA declares this component safe for use anyways. And as far as the ones on the market are concerned, they are vegan, so there is nothing to worry about it.
What is imitation Vanilla?
Did you know, about 99 % percent of the world’s vanilla extract is actually fake or imitation vanilla, not a natural product. Instead, it is synthetically prepared with vanillin, a lab version of the chemical that is present in real vanilla.
Vanilla essence is the name for fake or imitation vanilla. The extraction of this essence is from materials like petroleum. It easily feels like real vanilla; however, people argue that it is not close to capturing its true elements.
But this does not mean that imitation vanilla is not applicable. It is an economical choice, and honestly, you won’t be able to detect it after incorporation,
Nowadays, chefs show much more acceptance of vanilla essence, and new-classic desserts like Dunkaroos are incomplete or totally base on imitation vanilla for their distinct flavor. For these modern recipes, the real extract would not work in terms of flavoring.
For desserts that do not require low to no heat for preparation, such as puddings, mousse, whipped cream, etc., there is a possibility of flavor change when using either vanilla essence or real extract.
Conclusion
Now you know where does vanilla extract come from. It has two distinct theories, and the reality is much different. Filli café> makes sure that every item on the menu is prepared using fresh, FDA-approved edible ingredients.