It's a classic case of supply and demand. Much of the world's supply of vanilla beans about 80 percent is grown in one place, on the island of Madagascar, explains Rave Reviews nutrition coach Elliot Reimers via email. Although prices proved to be more stable than the fluctuating rates of , was forecast to see a 25 percent reduction in production, which could send costs shooting upward again, according to flavorings company FONA. But that was predicted before the COVID pandemic happened, which seems to be sending prices lower.
The other major contribution to sky-high vanilla prices is the fact that the plant is just so difficult to grow. Orchid flowers are hand-pollinated during a short flowering period," she adds. The hand-pollination process is difficult and requires an experienced person to perform it successfully. Typically, it's done by farmers who've been in the vanilla-growing game for generations.
The process doesn't end once the beans are harvested either. The crop must be cured and dried, and so from beginning to end growth to export the process takes a solid year. She notes that the orchids flower just once a year and the hand pollination must take place on that day.
Ironically, many farmers had moved away from growing the labor-intensive vanilla before the Cyclone Enawo made landfall, because of low prices for the product. At the same time, consumer interest in "real vanilla" had started to increase, further exacerbating the supply problem. In baking, vanilla does more than just make something taste vanilla. That said, when a recipe calls for pure vanilla extract it can be tempting to sidestep the authentic, but pricey version in favor of the much cheaper imitation stuff, which is chemically synthesized from products as varied as coal tar, wood pulp and guaiacol a petrochemical.
But everyone we talked with for this article said to buy the real thing. So, yes, it is absolutely worth it," says Rain. All of this is done by hand, plus pollination. A lot of work goes into those vanilla pods, so make sure you use up all of the pod if you evr buy one. The pods are just as difficult to grow and cure, but the import fees are less. The Mexican laws on food labeling are very lax, and as such claiming that an artificial vanilla extract is pure vanilla extract is not punished by law, so many companies do exactly that.
Vanillin is the compound naturally found in vanilla pods. A dried vanilla pod has about 2. However, nearly all affordable vanilla extract use wood-extracted vanillin, which is still sweet but different from true vanillin. These are close substitutes for vanilla pods, and they contain both vanillin and coumarin.
The only trouble is, coumarin is also toxic if ingested over a long period of time. The FDA has outlawed coumarin in American vanilla extracts. Mexico still uses it, in many vanilla extracts. So there you have it. Vanilla is an expensive spice, but the amount of work that goes into it is incredible. Vanilla pods are only as good as they are cured, so excellent manual labor is well worth the extra penny. Skip to content Vanilla is probably one of the most common flavors all over the world, yet suffers from severe price hikes.
Table of Contents. I typically try to look at these kinds of events as opportunities to explore other ways of cooking and baking. This year, I'll stock up on other kinds of extracts—lemon, lime, almond, peppermint, coconut, and so forth—and experiment with the way I bake and cook during the holidays and after.
You might find that you temporarily fall in love with another flavor profile! Or you might just go back to vanilla once the price comes down again. There are plenty of good reasons to do so. Actively scan device characteristics for identification.
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