As you wander through the grocery store looking at the many vanilla extract options, you may find yourself shocked at their price tags. And you may find yourself wondering why something so simply created is so costly. The answer? Vanilla beans are hard to grow. Naturally, vanilla is only pollinated by the vanilla bee, which has had a hard time surviving. Deforestation and encroachment on their habitat have reduced the vanilla bee population. As a result, vanilla farmers have begun hand pollinating. This, along with additional issues such as weather and cartels, has resulted in the price of vanilla skyrocketing. When I first started making my own vanilla, beans were sold for $45 a pound. Today, they range from $280 up to $500 a pound, depending on their country of origin and their quality. People with good intentions and a “value” mindset have been making “non-bean,” if you will, flavors for years. Some are natural, some are not.
BY BUCK BUCHANAN
YOU ARE WHAT
YOU EAT
There are three types of artificial vanilla. One is made from petrochemicals (yes, you read that right) – chemicals (something called “guaiacol”) made from petroleum! I don’t need to go any further other than to say this version is probably not ideal for consumption. The second type is made by extracting “vanilla crystals” from plant-based sources, with yeast and wood pulp being the top culprits in this process. When it comes to discussing both the petrochemical and “crystal” processes, I am not very
THE TRUTH ABOUT VANILLA
V
anilla is a very popular flavoring, commonly used in both food and drink. It can be found in a variety of sweet treats, including yogurt, coffee, and smoothies, as well as some savory dishes, such as pasta sauces, vinaigrettes, and certain soups and stews. And of course, vanilla is found in the ever-popular summer staple – ice cream. In fact, vanilla is in every flavor that we ice cream makers make. What exactly is vanilla, you ask? Encyclopedia Britannica defines vanilla as “any member of a group of tropical climbing orchids and the flavoring extracted from their pods.” Originally found in the eastern jungles of Mexico, vanilla has been used for centuries. The original chocolate drink known as Xocoatl was flavored with vanilla well before the Spaniards drank it in Montezuma’s court. Now, we use vanilla (or eat it) on a daily basis. The most common form found in grocery stores is vanilla extract arisen from a simple process. Vanilla beans, or pods, are suspended in an alcohol at the rate of one pound of beans per one gallon of alcohol. Three months later … bing bang boom, you have vanilla extract. 46
CIRCA Magazine
| July • August • September 2021
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