Bourbon vanilla

Bourbon vanilla is genuine vanilla of the species Vanilla planifolia from the islands in the Indian Ocean, primarily from Madagascar, the Comoros, and Réunion, which was formerly called Île Bourbon and gave the vanilla its name.

Vanilla Bean Paste von Taylor & Colledge mit Bourbon-Vanille

Bourbon vanilla is real vanilla of the species Vanilla planifolia from islands in the Indian Ocean, primarily from Madagascar, the Comoros, and Réunion—which was formerly called Île Bourbon and gave vanilla its name.

Vanilla is an orchid that grows like a vine, and its spice is not a flower, but a fruit: the long, pod-like capsule that only develops its fragrance after harvesting. The word comes from the Spanish vainilla, meaning "little pod." Therefore, what is labeled as "Bourbon" says nothing about a variety on the shelf, but rather about an origin, and with vanilla, the origin determines almost everything.

Why is it called Bourbon vanilla?

After an island that no longer exists under that name. Réunion, east of Madagascar, was called Île Bourbon until the French Revolution, and the Duden dictionary traces "Bourbon vanilla" back exactly to this: named after the old name of the island of Réunion, one of the main growing regions. Today, the name stands for the entire neighborhood. Over 50 percent of Bourbon vanilla comes from Madagascar, in addition to the Comoros, Mauritius, and Réunion itself. Taylor & Colledge, who source their pods there, use "Bourbon" as a collective term for vanilla from Madagascar and estimate that around 80 percent of all vanilla pods in the world come from Madagascar and its surroundings.

What is the difference between vanilla and Bourbon vanilla?

Bourbon vanilla is vanilla, just with an address. The genus comprises about 110 species, and in the kitchen, two matter: Vanilla planifolia, which is Bourbon vanilla, and Vanilla tahitensis, which grows in small quantities on Tahiti. The plant is native to Mexico, where Mayas and Aztecs already used the dried fruit capsules, for example in cocoa, and Mexico still provides about 10 percent of world production today. In taste, the two species are far apart. Bourbon vanilla has a high vanillin content and tastes intense, harmonious, and balanced; Tahiti vanilla has little vanillin and tastes floral and fresh. The Alte Gewürzamt, which carries both, describes the Madagascar vanilla as having a full, round sweetness, the Comoros vanilla as having a balsamic, soft Bourbon character, and the Tahitensis as floral-sweet.

However, the bigger difference is not between islands, but between vanilla and vanillin. Vanillin is the main aromatic substance of the pod, and more than 90 percent of the vanillin used worldwide comes from artificial production. The aroma of real vanilla is created only from vanillin and around 35 other substances; these exact companion substances are missing in the lab-made compound. On the ingredient list, you can identify the real pod by these words: ground vanilla pods, vanilla extract, Bourbon vanilla, Tahiti vanilla, Mexico vanilla, and natural vanilla flavor, which, according to EU flavor regulations, must be at least 95 percent derived from vanilla. If the label only says natural flavor, vanilla flavor, or "vanilla," the pod is not included. And "vanillin sugar" is called that because there is no real vanilla in it.

With a whole pod, there is a litmus test for the hand: it must be pliable; a cracked, dry shell indicates inferior goods. White dots or small crystals on the pod are not mold, but a hallmark of quality for real vanilla. It should be stored airtight, preferably in the sealed glass tube in which it is usually sold.

Why is Bourbon vanilla so expensive?

Because almost every step is done by hand and none can be shortened. In its native Central America, hummingbirds and certain insects pollinate the flowers; everywhere else in the world, a human must fertilize every single flower by hand. The capsules then ripen on the plant for nine to ten months and are harvested by hand. When green, they do not yet smell of anything. Only the fermentation process awakens the aroma: the fruits are dipped in boiling water, wrapped in cloths, and exposed to the tropical sun, during which they turn brownish-black and the vanillin is formed. In the end, a pod weighs only a few grams.

This price must be spent wisely. The whole pod belongs where vanilla plays the leading role: in pudding, crème, or ice cream. Slice it open lengthwise, scrape out the black, moist seeds with the back of a knife, and boil the pod in the milk. Do not throw the pod away afterward: tucked into a jar of sugar and kept sealed for at least a week, it yields a vanilla sugar that elevates cookies and yeast dough. For dough, ground pods or an extract are sufficient, and for everyday use, a vanilla sugar in which the entire bean has been ground, such as from the Alte Gewürzamt, which mixes raw cane sugar with ground Bourbon vanilla beans from Madagascar. The black specks in the dough are then no accident, but the seeds.

Is there alcohol in Bourbon vanilla ice cream?

Only if it contains an extract. Pods, seeds, ground vanilla, and vanilla sugar are alcohol-free. A vanilla extract, on the other hand, is traditionally made by extracting the pods in alcohol; Taylor & Colledge use organic sugarcane alcohol for this, and according to the declaration, their extract contains 25 percent vol. The company’s vanilla paste is also based on this extract—42 percent of it, plus 5 percent vanilla seeds, which remain visible in the ice cream as little dots. When baking at high heat, according to the manufacturer, it is very likely that no alcohol remains in the pastry because the small amount evaporates. Nothing evaporates in ice cream; the tiny portion remains. If you do not want this, set aside the pod or paste for the ice cream base and reach for vanilla sugar or ground vanilla pods instead.

And that is what a Sunday tastes like: rice pudding with a scraped-out pod, the shell boiled in the pot, and a spoonful of acacia honey with Bourbon vanilla on top. The pod then moves into the sugar jar, and the next week is already smelling sweet.