Vanilla pudding, vanilla sauce or vanilla crescents – many sweet treats are refined with vanilla nowadays. Especially at Christmas time, vanilla, which is the second most expensive spice in the world after saffron, is in high season. However, vanilla can not only convince with its distinctive taste and pleasant smell, but is considered a true superfood with its health-promoting effect.
What is the effect of vanilla?
The spice vanilla and in particular its main flavoring vanillin are said to have various beneficial effects on our body:
- Thus, vanilla is said to have a mood-lifting effect and can therefore help with depressive moods or anxiety.
- In the case of anxiety, the calming effect of vanilla on our nerves is also noticeable – that’s why many candles, bath products and body care products smell like vanilla.
- To recommend products with vanilla scent but also sweet tooth, because vanilla is supposed to curb the desire for sweets.
- Often vanilla is added to perfumes and other cosmetics, because vanillin is chemically very similar to the pheromones (sex attractants) of humans. To this chemical similarity is probably due to the aphrodisiac effect, which is said to vanilla.
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Vanilla as a medicine?
In addition, vanilla, when applied externally, is said to have an antiseptic effect – that is, it should be able to reduce the risk of infection in wounds, for example. In addition, however, vanilla is also said to have anti-inflammatory properties. Therefore, the spice is said to be particularly effective in fungal diseases of the skin, as well as eczema and neurodermatitis.
What is vanilla made of?
Real vanilla is composed as follows:
- 35 percent water
- 25 percent sugar
- 15 percent fat
- 6 percent minerals
In addition, vanilla has a high cellulose content, which can be up to 30 percent. The proportion of the main flavoring vanillin is between three and four percent.
Main flavoring vanillin
Real vanilla is one of the most sought-after spices worldwide. However, due to the complex cultivation – for example, the vanilla flowers often have to be pollinated by hand – and changing harvest yields, stocks are fluctuating and real vanilla is expensive. For this reason, the main flavoring agent, vanillin, is nowadays mainly produced artificially – real vanilla is usually only used for particularly high-quality baked goods. To meet the demand for vanilla, about 14,000 tons of artificial vanillin are produced each year using biotechnological methods – real vanilla, however, contains about 40 other components in addition to vanillin. The great advantage of artificially produced vanillin is that it can be manufactured relatively inexpensively. It is contained, for example, in vanillin sugar, which is frequently used in baking. In addition to biotechnologically produced “natural” vanillin, there is also vanillin obtained from coniferous woods. This is referred to as “nature-identical”. By the way, the so-called “Bourbon vanilla” comes from the Bourbon Islands. These include the Comoros, Madagascar, the Seychelles, La Réunion and Mauritius. Only vanilla from these islands is allowed to bear this name.
The difference between real and artificial vanilla sugar.
Unlike synthetically produced vanillin sugar, real vanilla sugar is composed of sugar and vanilla and can be recognized by the small black dots that appear when the seeds are ground. However, nowadays more and more products with artificial vanillin also contain such black dots. These consist only of the ground shell of the pod, which contains hardly any flavor. This is to give the impression that real vanilla pulp was used in the manufacture of the product.
Vanilla: use in the kitchen
Vanilla is used in the kitchen mainly for flavoring desserts or in combination with fruit. However, those who like to experiment in cooking can also use vanilla to season spicy dishes such as meat or vegetables. For seasoning in the kitchen, the pulp of the vanilla bean is mostly used, as it contains the majority of the flavoring substances. To get to the pulp, the vanilla bean is cut open lengthwise. The pulp is then scraped out of the pod together with the black seeds.Since the pod itself also contains many flavoring substances, it should also be used further: Its flavoring substances can be obtained, for example, by boiling the vanilla bean in milk or cream. Afterwards, the liquid can be further used, for example, for a vanilla sauce. Tip: To make real vanilla sugar yourself, all you need is an airtight container and a scraped vanilla pod. Simply place the pod in the container along with the sugar and let it steep for six to eight weeks. The more vanilla beans that are added, the more aromatic the sugar will be.
Where does the vanilla come from?
The vanilla plant belongs to the orchid family and originally comes from Mexico. In Central and South America, it was used centuries ago to refine the bitter cocoa, but also as an aphrodisiac. The vanilla plant was first introduced to Europe by the Spanish conquerors. There are over 100 different vanilla varieties worldwide, but only 15 varieties produce aromatic capsules. The most important vanilla variety is spiced vanilla. Although it has its origins in Mexico, today it is grown mainly on Madagascar and other islands in the Indian Ocean. Bourbon vanilla is particularly well known and in demand in Europe for its intense aroma. It comes from the island of La Réunion, which used to be called Ile Bourbon. Fruit in winter
