Posted on 04/18/2020 2:14:44 PM PDT by nickcarraway
The legend says that vanilla was introduced to Europe by Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés, who had seen the Aztec Emperor Montezuma drink his xocolatl (sort of a chocolate drink) with a bit of vanilla. The Mesoamerican flavoring gained massively in popularity in the 19th century, when botanists found a way to hand-pollinate it, which allowed for it to be grown around the world.
Today, the vast majority of vanilla (some 60%-80%) comes from the African island of Madagascar, and it is the second most expensive spice (only behind saffron) in the world, mostly because it’s difficult to produce. However, at the moment there is a real shortage of natural vanilla, as the vanilla bean cannot meet the demand due to challenging growing conditions, labor exploitation, and deforestation in Madagascar.
Dr. Ian Klein claims he can solve that by producing natural vanilla from the abundant corn fiber.
The 2015 Under 30 honoree and a PhD in Chemistry from Purdue University, has been working on this issue for several years as a Chief Technology Officer of Santa Barbara-based Spero Renewables. The company currently has two pending patents on natural vanilla production (one of which is late stage), and is in the process of raising a $1.5 million seed round which they hope to close in the next several months.
“Consumers today are demanding natural and sustainable products, especially in the food industry where they want ingredients that they know rather than artificial flavorings,” Klein says.
(Excerpt) Read more at forbes.com ...
Uh huh...
and you can make butter from plants!
And meat from plants!
And milk from almonds or soy beans or oats!
…
Suckers!
Nah, dark espresso chocolate is the way to go; if not, then sea salt caramel is a good second.
Look in Nancy’s freezer, that where it’s hidden.
I guess I’ll have to raid the Dollar Store again..
Why not go with the imitation vanilla sold in the stores? It’s cheaper ... /s
I’ve heard Bakers imitation vanilla is nearly as good as real vanilla, and at 98 cents for a large bottle on Amazon, I think I might go that route for baking if vanilla goes up precipitously due to this shortage.
I remember the coffee “shortage”. The 10 cent cup of joe died. When there was no longer a “shortage”, coffee prices never did come down. Probably vanilla’s turn now...
Beaver anal secretions used as vanilla substitute
https://www.mnn.com/food/healthy-eating/stories/beaver-anal-secretions-used-as-vanilla-substitute
I guess we’re down to squeezing beaver butts for our ice cream.
I imagine some beavers like that...
I like dark rum, dark chocolate and dark women.
But I am an alcoholic who doesn’t drink alcohol,
a diabetic who doesn’t eat chocolate
and I am married to a German...
So there is that.
The spice must flow.... from a beaver’s butt.
So there is actually enough vanilla but some of it is from exploited labor so one should make a phoney vanila instead. It wont taste as good, it will be the TOFU of vanialla, good when you dont have the real thing.
I’m happy with artificial vanilla flavoring, but it has been weirdly expensive recently.
The good side to this is it will divert the masses to the fake stuff and leave the real good stuff at a lower price to those of us who appreciate it.
Kind of like farmed salmon vs. wild.
As for vanilla, (reference a food product developer I know), Mexican vanilla is better than imitation and Madagascar is far superior to Mexican.
I thought a hurricane (typhoon)? devastated Madagascar two or three years ago, wiping out the crop AND the trees.
I was told that’s why natural vanilla is so expensive.
In Sam’s Club last year, we had to ask an associate to get us a bottle. If they left it on the shelf, it was shoplifted.
I really can not taste the difference in baking with imitation vs real vanilla.....
Get a couple of vanilla beans, put them in a Mason jar, or similar sealed glass container. Pour in vodka, allow to sit for a month or so, shake from time to time. Voila! Vanilla extract. Just add vodka to keep the beans covered, store in a dark location and you have an unending supply.
Sounds like it will be just like tofu product masquerading as meat or cheese-or margarine calling itself “plant butter”-just another imitation of a natural product that is inferior to the real thing. I’ve never bought vanilla that came from anywhere but Mexico-delicious...
There’s probably plenty in Mexico. Big bottles of natural vanilla could be found in any food store when we were there, for very reasonable prices.
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