True vanilla is a appriciated flavour used in a wide variety of foods but did you know that it is derived from an orchids pod that seems completely inedible when still left on the plant? It has to be cured to divulge its famous aroma; a truth which might have remained undiscovered if it hadn’t been for the Totonacos.
The Totonaco people is a pre-columbian people that inhabited the vera cruz region of Mexico. The vanilla bean was a gift to the Totanaco people from the gods according to Totanaco legends and its true purpose was to fill the forrest with nice smells and beauty. The first vanilla flower was created when the blood of two lovers were spilled on the jungle floor. Today, historians assume that the Totonaco people discovered the secret of the vanilla orchid bean by encountering beans that had been naturally cured by months of heat and humidity in the tropical forest. The distinct vanilla flavour is bound in the form of glycosides and enzymatic reaction is required to free it.
If you want to prepare your own vanilla, you can use the pod as well as the beans since both hold the special vanilla aroma. The pods are full of seeds and will mature slowly untill they turn dark brown when they are ripe. You have to be patient if you grow your own vanilla because the ripening can take up to nine months and it is important not to remove the pod until the seeds have been fully formed. The plant will tell you when its time by simply opening up the pod. The best vanilla is produced from pods that just started splitting and you should therefore always keep a close eye on you vanilla orchid to see when the pods are right to be picked. It is important to remember that different vanilla pods mature at different rate and you will need to harvest each pod when it is ready.
The traditional way to cure vanilla is to leave pods and seeds in the sun. Spread out pods and seeds on a tray and place the tray in a sunny spot for 2-3 hours. Fold the vanilla into blankets and leave it to sweat in the dark for at least 12 hours. Next morning, place the vanilla in the sun again, before leaving it to sweat in the blanket. Keep doing this until the vanilla pod is deep brown which might take as much as three weeks to achieve. You will then need to leave the vanilla pods to dry for 3 weeks in a shaded well ventilated spot.
A quicker way to cure vanilla is to cure them using hot water.
1.) Heat water to 89-120 degrees F / 57-88 degrees C.
2.) Place the pods and seed in water for three minutes.
3.) Wrap them into a blanket or other piece of farbric and leave them to sweet for 12 hours or more.
4.) Leave them to dry in a shaded, well ventilated spot.
Tags: deserts, food, ice cream, orchid, orchids, vanilla, vanilla bean