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<img src="http://www.vanipro.com/site/ximg/21131/spacer.gif" alt="Vanilla Planifolia">
<h1>Vanilla Planifolia</h1>
<a name="Vanilla Planifolia">
<table>
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Vanipro, vanille, épices et café cultive et exporte à travers le monde entier des épices de grande qualité, de la vanille et du café à destination de grands industriels, distributeurs ou revendeurs.
</td></tr>
<tr><td>
<a href="http://www.vanipro.com/">Vanilla Planifolia</a>
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<tr><td>
vanille, vanilles, vanilla, beans, vanilla beans, bourbon vanilla, vanilla bourbon, gousse de vanille, cafés, café, épices, épice, bourbon, vanille bourbon, cannelle, poivre, poivre vert, poivre blanc, planifolia, girofle, vanilin, vanilline, cuts, import, import vanille, export, export vanille, importateur, importateur vanille, exportateur vanille, grossiste, grossiste en épice, vente, qualité, vanipro, revendeur, distributeur, mexique, indonésie, madagascar
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<TABLE border class=lang>
<TR ><TD>bot<TD lang="la"><I>Vanilla fragrans</I>
<TR ><TD>pharm<TD lang="la"><I>Fructus Vanillae</I>
<TR ><TD>Arabic<TD lang="ar">Wanila
<TR class=merge1><TD>Bulgarian<TD lang="bg"><SPAN class=act title="Vaniliya">Ванилия</SPAN>
<TR class=merge2><TD><TD lang="bg">Vaniliya
<TR ><TD>Chinese<TD lang="zh">Hsiang ts'ao
<TR ><TD>Croatian<TD lang="hr">Vanilija
<TR ><TD>Czech<TD lang="cs">Vanilka
<TR ><TD>Danish<TD lang="da">Vanilje
<TR ><TD>Dutch<TD lang="nl">Vanille
<TR ><TD>Esperanto<TD lang="eo">Vanilo
<TR ><TD>Estonian<TD lang="et">Harilik vanill, Vanillikaun
<TR ><TD>Farsi<TD lang="fa">Vanil
<TR ><TD>Finnish<TD lang="fi">Vanilja
<TR ><TD>French<TD lang="fr">Vanille
<TR ><TD>Frisian<TD lang="fy">Fanylje, Fanille
<TR ><TD>German<TD lang="de">Vanille
<TR class=merge1><TD>Greek<TD lang="el"><SPAN title="Baníllia" class=act>Βανίλλια</SPAN>
<TR class=merge2><TD><TD lang="el">Vanillia
<TR class=merge1><TD>Hebrew<TD lang="he"><SPAN class=act dir=rtl title="VNYL">וניל</SPAN>
<TR class=merge2><TD><TD lang="he">Vanil
<TR ><TD>Hungarian<TD lang="hu">Vanília
<TR ><TD>Icelandic<TD lang="is">Vanilla
<TR ><TD>Indonesian<TD lang="id">Paneli, Panili
<TR ><TD>Italian<TD lang="it">Vaniglia
<TR ><TD>Japanese<TD lang="ja">Banira
<TR ><TD>Latvian<TD lang="lv">Smaržīgā vaniļa
<TR ><TD>Lithuanian<TD lang="lt">Vanilė
<TR ><TD>Norwegian<TD lang="no">Vanilje
<TR ><TD>Polish<TD lang="pl">Wanilia płaskolistna
<TR ><TD>Portuguese<TD lang="pt">Baunilha
<TR ><TD>Romanian<TD lang="ro">Vanilie
<TR class=merge1><TD>Russian<TD lang="ru"><SPAN class=act title="Vanil'">Ваниль</SPAN>
<TR class=merge2><TD><TD lang="ru">Vanil
<TR ><TD>Slovak<TD lang="sk">Vanilka
<TR ><TD>Slovenian<TD lang="sl">Vanilija
<TR ><TD>Spanish<TD lang="es">Vainilla
<TR ><TD>Swahili<TD lang="sw">Lavani
<TR ><TD>Swedish<TD lang="sv">Vanilj
<TR ><TD>Tagalog<TD lang="tl">Vanilia
<TR ><TD>Tamil<TD lang="ta">Vanikkodo
<TR ><TD>Thai<TD lang="th">Wanila
<TR ><TD>Turkish<TD lang="tr">Vanilya
<TR ><TD>Yiddish<TD lang="yi">Vanil
</TABLE>
<BR clear=right>
<TABLE width=132 border=1 align="right">
<TR><TD><a href="us_vanilla_beans.html">vanilla beans</A><TR><TD class=imgcap>
Ripening vanilla fruits
<P><A class=ext href="http://www.vanipro.com/" target="_top">www.vanipro.com</A>
</TABLE>
<DT><B><A class=bland name=part>Used plant part</A></B><DD><P class=dd>
The ripe fruit (pod), frequently (but wrongly) called bean.
Most of the fragrance resides in the seeds and the oily liquid
surrounding the seeds.
<DT><B><A class=bland name=fam>Plant family</A></B><DD><P class=dd>
<A lang="la" href="index.html">Orchidaceae</A> (orchid family).
<DT><B><A class=bland name=aroma>Sensoric quality</A></B><DD><P class=dd>
Sweet, aromatic and pleasant.
For other sweet spices, see <A href="Glyc_gla.html">licorice</A>.<P>
Vanilla from Réunion and Madagascar (Bourbon type) is characterized
by the most intensive, balanced and somewhat <Q>dark</Q> flavour; lesser priced
is Mexican vanilla, with its softer and fresher aroma.<P>
Tahiti vanilla, rarely available, stems from a closely related species
(<I lang="la">Vanilla tahitensis</I>, thought to be a hybrid of
<I lang="la">V. planifolia</I> and <I lang="la">V. pompona</I>);
it has a more flowery vanilla fragrance that stands apart from the
other types. It is often regarded as inferior, but unusual might be
the better word.<P>
<DT><B><A class=bland name=const>Main constituents</A></B><DD><P class=dd>
The fermented fruit contains about 2% vanillin, depending on provenience
(México 1.75%, Sri Lanka 1.5%, Indonesia 2.75%); in vanilla pods of
exceptionally good quality, the crystallized vanillin may be visible on the
surface in the form of tiny white needles (called <I lang="fr">givre</I>,
the French word for <Q>frost</Q>).<P>
Besides vanillin (85% of total volatiles), other important aroma components are
<I>p</I>-hydroxybenzaldehyd (up to 9%) and <I>p</I>-hydroxybenzyl methyl
ether (1%). Even trace components do significantly improve
the flavour; about 130 more compounds have been identified in vanilla extract
(phenoles, phenol ether, alcohols, carbonyl compounds, acids, ester, lactones,
aliphatic and aromatic carbon hydrates and heterocyclic compounds). Two
stereoisomeric vitispiranes (2,10,10-trimethyl-1,6- and
methylidene-1-oxaspiro(4,5)dec-7-ene), although only occurring in traces, also
influence the aroma.
<BR clear=right>
<TABLE width=300 border=1 align="right">
<TR><TD><a href="us_vanilla_beans.html">vanipro</A><TR><TD class=imgcap>
Sterile vanilla plant
<P>
</TABLE>
<P>
The quite different fragrance of Tahiti vanilla is due to its
additional contents of piperonal (heliotropin, 3,4-dioxymethylenbenzaldehyd)
and diacetyl (butandione). Vanillin content is about 1.7%.<P>
Vanilla additionally contains 25% of sugars, 15% fat, 15 to 30%
cellulose and 6% minerals. Water content is unusually high (35%).
<DT><B><A class=bland name=orig>Origin</A></B><DD><P class=dd>
South East México and Guatemala. Today, the most important exporters are
Madagascar and Réunion (formerly called Bourbon), even before
México. In Asia, Indonesia is the most successful producer.
<DT><B><A class=bland name=etym>Etymology</A></B><DD><P class=dd>
Spanish <I lang="es">vainilla</I> (whence all other forms are loaned) is a
diminutive of <I lang="es">vaina</I> <Q>sheath, vagina, pod</Q>, motivated by the
sheath-like shape of the fruit. The species name, <I lang="la">planifolia</I>,
refers to the striking flat shape of the leaves.
<P>
Quite interestingly, the native names of vanilla (e.g.
Náhuatl <I>tlilxochitl</I> <Q>black flower</Q>)
have, to my knowledge, not been transferred to any other
language after the conquest.
<DT>
<DIV class=text>
<P class=noindent>
<TABLE border=0 align=right>
<TR><TD align=right>
<TABLE width=414 border=1 >
<TR><TD><a href="us_vanilla_beans.html">vanilla</A><TR><TD class=imgcap>
Vanilla flower
<P>
</TABLE>
<BR><TR><TD align=right>
</TABLE>
<A class=first name=disc>Vanilla</A> is native to Central America and
has a long record of pre-Comlumbian usage. Both the Mayas and, later,
the Aztecs used Vanilla to flavour a special drink prepared
from water, cocoa beans and spices: <I>chacau haa</I>
(or <I>chocol haa</I>) in the Mayan and <I>cacahuatl</I> in the
Aztec tongue (Náhuatl).
<P>
Mayan chocolate, as is still drunk in southern México
(Yucatán), Guatemala and Belize, is often spicy,
containing <a href="us_vanilla_beans.html">chiles</A> and other native
(<a href="us_vanilla_beans.html">allspice</A>,
<a href="us_vanilla_beans.html">annatto</A>) or imported
(<a href="us_vanilla_beans.html">black pepper</A>,
<a href="us_vanilla_beans.html">cinnamon</A>) spices. Sweeteners (sugar
or honey) are possible but in no way mandatory.
The drink is enjoyed hot or cold, but in any case it is whipped
such that it becomes foamy; the foam is considered the most
delicious part.
<P>
The Aztecs drank chocolate mostly cold, and often used honey
to get a sweet product; in our days, of course, cane sugar is
more common. Aztec chocolate may contain all aromatics mentioned
in the previous paragraph, and more (e.g.,
<a href="us_vanilla_beans.html">paprika</A>
or <a href="us_vanilla_beans.html">Mexican pepper leaves</A>); for cultic
purposes, the deeply red colour brought by addition of
<a href="us_vanilla_beans.html">annatto</A> was highly esteemed.
When Hernán Cortés forced the Aztec ruler Moctezuma
to grant him an audience on November 14th,
1519, he was the first European to try chocolate; less than three years later,
the great Aztec capital Tenochtitlán had been shattered to pieces, and
the Aztec empire had ceased to exist.
<P>
Vanilla was first used in Europe mainly for the same purpose as in
America before: To flavour drinking chocolate, a very popular drink
among the 17.th century European nobility. European drinking chocolate
was almost exclusively sweet and might use a lot of additional flavourings,
e.g. <a href="us_vanilla_beans.html">anise</A>, <a href="us_vanilla_beans.html">cinnamon</A>,
but also exotic animal products like musk and ambergris; the main European
contributions to chocolate was, however, the use of milk instead of
water, which culminated much later, at the end of the 19.th century,
in the production of milk chocolate bars.
<BR clear=right>
<P>
Chocolate aside, vanilla is used for a large number of other sweet
dishes in Western cuisine; its usage is salty foods is very uncommon.
Vanilla is essential for a large number of cookie
recipes, for cakes, sweet continental puddings and gruels, and
even for milk-based sweet drinks; moreover, dry pastries (e.g.,
<I lang="de">Strudel</I> in Germany, Austria and Czech Republic)
are sometimes served with hot, vanilla-scented sweet sauces. The
most important, almost proverbial, application is, however, vanilla
ice cream. The largest part of <Q>vanilla-flavoured</Q> industrial
products do not contain true vanilla, but the much
cheaper synthetic vanillin, the main (but not single) constituent of
vanilla aroma.
<P>
Vanillin can be easily produced from wood wastes of the paper industry; the
same chemical reaction, by the way, lies behind the vanilla aroma of some
wines aged in wood barrels (<I lang="fr">barrique</I>). Pure vanillin does
have a scent reminiscent to vanilla, but it lacks the subtle flavour the of
true spice. It can, therefore, not substitute vanilla in high-quality products.
In no product this is more obvious than in vanilla ice cream, which (apart
from rare exceptions) has disappointing flavour. Vanilla ice cream made with
natural vanilla extract or vanilla beans (you can recognize this by the tiny
black seeds in the ice cream) is comparatively rare, and of course somewhat
more expensive.
<P>
By the first view, ice cream seems a typical product of industrialized
Western countries, since its production and transport calls for significant
technical facilities. Yet, even Alexander the Great enjoyed iced desserts,
and several Roman emperors are reported to have adopted this custom.
Chinese Emperors of the Tang dynasty had ice-cooled deserts based on
buffalo milk flavoured with camphor to lessen the discomfort of hot
summer days, and similar recipes were later developed by the Indian
Mughal dynasty (<I lang="hi">kulfi</I>). Cooling was achieved by snow
transported to court from distant mountains, which is a considerable logistic
success.
<P>
Ice creames produced today owe their smooth and fluffy texture not
only to various emulgators, but also to tiny gas bubbles trapped in
the semisolid matrix. This feature distinguishes the soft ice of our
days from the half-frozen sherbets of Nero or Jehan Gir.
<P>
Ice creames are produced in a huge variety of different flavours;
most popular in Western countries are chocolate, fruit flavours
(of the plants mentiones on these pages, <a href="us_vanilla_beans.html">lemon</A>,
<a href="us_vanilla_beans.html">orange</A>, <a href="us_vanilla_beans.html">mango</A>
and <a href="us_vanilla_beans.html">pomegranate</A>),
<a href="us_vanilla_beans.html">peppermint</A>, vanilla,
<a href="us_vanilla_beans.html">tonka</A> and a wealth of nuts, e.g., hazelnut,
<a href="us_vanilla_beans.html">almond</A> or <a href="us_vanilla_beans.html">coconut</A>.
Less main-stream, but excellent are ice creames produced from aromatic herbs
(<a href="us_vanilla_beans.html">lemon verbena</A>,
<a href="us_vanilla_beans.html">lavender</A>) or spices like
<a href="us_vanilla_beans.html">cinnamon</A>, <a href="us_vanilla_beans.html">cardamom</A> and
<a href="us_vanilla_beans.html">nutmeg</A>. In some countries, ice creams with floral
scent are popular, e.g., <a href="us_vanilla_beans.html">rose</A> in Iran or
<a href="us_vanilla_beans.html">kewra</A> in India; Thailand and Indonesia have ice
from <a href="us_vanilla_beans.html">pandan leaves</A> to offer. The
<a href="us_vanilla_beans.html">saffron</A> ice cream sold in Indian tourist centers I
found almost addictive (best was saffron-pistacchio, for those planning to
spend their vaccation in Mount Abu/Rajasthan). There are,
however, other flavours of ice cream
reported which I mention without being able to imagine how they might taste:
There are indeed reports on <a href="us_vanilla_beans.html">garlic</A> and
<a href="us_vanilla_beans.html">chile</A> ice creams, a challange for the stronghearted!
<P>
Different to most other spices, the processing of vanilla is rather
complicated, because fresh vanilla pods do not have any taste; the vanillin is
bound as a glycoside and must be set free by enzymatic reaction, normally
induced by a sequence of blanching (Bourbon) or steaming (México)
operations. This, and the need of manual pollination outside México,
makes vanilla one of the most expensive spices.
<BR clear=right>
<TABLE width=482 border=1 align="right">
<TR><TD><a href="us_vanilla_beans.html">vanilla</A><TR><TD class=imgcap>
Guadeloupe-Vanilla, sterile plant
</TABLE>
<P>
Vanilla is not frequently combined with other spices, although <A
href="index.html">saffron</A> or <a href="us_vanilla_beans.html">cinnamon</A> are
probably worth trying. <a href="us_vanilla_beans.html">Tonka beans</A> or <A
href="index.html">pandanus leaf extract</A> make interesting alternatives for
vanilla; another possibility are scented flower distillates
<P>
Everything expensive gets adulterated and faked – vanilla is no
exception. First of all, synthetic vanillin is an obvious choice to
<Q>spice up</Q> beans of
low quality, or beans that have been extracted to yield the expensive vanilla
extract (won by macerating vanilla pods in a mixture of water and alcohol).
Synthetic vanillin may also appear in the extract itself. Especially in
México, <a href="us_vanilla_beans.html">tonka bean</A> extract shows up
regularly in vanilla extract. See also <a href="us_vanilla_beans.html">tonka bean</A>
for vanilla-flavoured cigarettes.
<P>
Two related vanilla species
(<I lang="la">V. pompona</I>, also called Guadeloupe vanilla or Antilles
vanilla from the West Indies and <I lang="la">V. tahitensis</I> from Tahiti),
are sometimes used as adulterations. Both species are considered inferior
to <I lang="la">V. planifolia</I>, and indeed their aromas differ markedly
from standard vanilla flavour people are used to. Of course, unusualness
is not necessarily a sign of low value, and the two <Q>exotic vanillas</Q>
might be used in their own right.
Vanilla Planifolia</td></tr>
<tr><td><a href="Vanille.html">La Vanille</a></td></tr>
<tr><td><a href="vanille_bourbon_madagascar.html">Vanille bourbon de madagascar, bourbon vanilla from madagascar</a></td></tr>
<tr><td><a href="us_vanilla_production.html">Vanilla production, production of vanilla</a></td></tr>
<tr><td><a href="us_vanilla_bean_production.html">Vanilla bean production worldwide</a></td></tr>
<tr><td><a href="us_export_spices.html">Export spices, spices exporter</a></td></tr>
<tr><td><a href="us_export_vanilla.html">Export Vanilla</a></td></tr>
<tr><td><a href="vanille_de_madagascar.html">Vanille de madagascar</a></td></tr>
<tr><td><a href="us_vanilla_madagascar.html">Vanilla from Madagascar</a></td></tr>
<tr><td><a href="gousse_de_vanille.html">Gousse de Vanille</a></td></tr>
<tr><td><a href="produits_de_madagascar.html">Produits de madagascar</a></td></tr>
<tr><td><a href="epices_de_madagascar.html">épices de madagascar</a></td></tr>
<tr><td><a href="cafe_de_madagascar.html">café de madagascar</a></td></tr>
<tr><td><a href="export_cafe.html">export café</a></td></tr>
<tr><td><a href="vanille_bourbon.html">vanille bourbon</a></td></tr>
<tr><td><a href="poivre_blanc_et_poivre_gris.html">poivre gris et poivre blanc</a></td></tr>
<tr><td><a href="vanilla_planifolia.html">vanilla planifolia</a></td></tr>
<tr><td><a href="clous_de_girofle.html">Clous de girofle</a></td></tr>
<tr><td><a href="grossiste_en_epices.html">grossiste en épices</a></td></tr>
<tr><td><a href="production_de_vanille.html">Production de vanille</a></td></tr>
<tr><td><a href="importateur_de_poivre_et_epices.html">importateur exportateur de poivre et épices</a></td></tr>
<tr><td><a href="import_export_epices_de_madagascar.html">import export d'épices de madagascar</a></td></tr>
<tr><td><a href="us_vanilla_beans.html">vanilla beans</a></td></tr>
<tr><td><a href="us_vanilla_bourbon_madagascar.html">bourbon vanilla madagascar</a></td></tr>
<tr><td><a href="us_vanilla_coffee_spices_import_export.html">vanilla coffee spices import export</a></td></tr>
<tr><td><a href="us_vanilla_fragrans.html">vanilla fragrans</a></td></tr>
<tr><td><a href="us_high_quality_vanilla_planifolia.html">high quality vanilla planifolia</a></td></tr>
<tr><td><a href="us_white_pepper.html">white pepper</a></td></tr>
<tr><td><a href="us_cinammon.html">cinnamon</a></td></tr>
<tr><td><a href="us_clove.html">clove</a></td></tr>
<tr><td><a href="us_madagascar_coffee.html">madagascar coffee</a></td></tr>
<tr><td><a href="us_products_from_madagascar.html">products from madagascar</a></td></tr>
<tr><td><h2>Vanilla Planifolia</h2><bR><bR>
<li>Vanille Noire-Gourmet :
<li>On distingue dans la Vanille Noire-Gourmet, 4 produits :
<li>Vanille Noire non fendue type Japon
<li>Vanille Noire non fendue type Europe
<li>3 catégories de produits :
<li>- Vanille Rouge Europe
<li>- Vanille Rouge US
<li>- Cuts
</td></tr>
<tr><td><a href="Vanille.html">La Vanille</a></td></tr>
<tr><td><a href="vanille_bourbon_madagascar.html">Vanille bourbon de madagascar, bourbon vanilla from madagascar</a></td></tr>
<tr><td><a href="us_vanilla_production.html">Vanilla production, production of vanilla</a></td></tr>
<tr><td><a href="us_vanilla_bean_production.html">Vanilla bean production worldwide</a></td></tr>
<tr><td><a href="us_export_spices.html">Export spices, spices exporter</a></td></tr>
<tr><td><a href="us_export_vanilla.html">Export Vanilla</a></td></tr>
<tr><td><a href="vanille_de_madagascar.html">Vanille de madagascar</a></td></tr>
<tr><td><a href="us_vanilla_madagascar.html">Vanilla from Madagascar</a></td></tr>
<tr><td><a href="gousse_de_vanille.html">Gousse de Vanille</a></td></tr>
<tr><td><a href="produits_de_madagascar.html">Produits de madagascar</a></td></tr>
<tr><td><a href="epices_de_madagascar.html">épices de madagascar</a></td></tr>
<tr><td><a href="cafe_de_madagascar.html">café de madagascar</a></td></tr>
<tr><td><a href="export_cafe.html">export café</a></td></tr>
<tr><td><a href="vanille_bourbon.html">vanille bourbon</a></td></tr>
<tr><td><a href="poivre_blanc_et_poivre_gris.html">poivre gris et poivre blanc</a></td></tr>
<tr><td><a href="vanilla_planifolia.html">vanilla planifolia</a></td></tr>
<tr><td><a href="clous_de_girofle.html">Clous de girofle</a></td></tr>
<tr><td><a href="grossiste_en_epices.html">grossiste en épices</a></td></tr>
<tr><td><a href="production_de_vanille.html">Production de vanille</a></td></tr>
<tr><td><a href="importateur_de_poivre_et_epices.html">importateur exportateur de poivre et épices</a></td></tr>
<tr><td><a href="import_export_epices_de_madagascar.html">import export d'épices de madagascar</a></td></tr>
<tr><td><a href="us_vanilla_beans.html">vanilla beans</a></td></tr>
<tr><td><a href="us_vanilla_bourbon_madagascar.html">bourbon vanilla madagascar</a></td></tr>
<tr><td><a href="us_vanilla_coffee_spices_import_export.html">vanilla coffee spices import export</a></td></tr>
<tr><td><a href="us_vanilla_fragrans.html">vanilla fragrans</a></td></tr>
<tr><td><a href="us_high_quality_vanilla_planifolia.html">high quality vanilla planifolia</a></td></tr>
<tr><td><a href="us_white_pepper.html">white pepper</a></td></tr>
<tr><td><a href="us_cinammon.html">cinnamon</a></td></tr>
<tr><td><a href="us_clove.html">clove</a></td></tr>
<tr><td><a href="us_madagascar_coffee.html">madagascar coffee</a></td></tr>
<tr><td><a href="us_products_from_madagascar.html">products from madagascar</a></td></tr>
<tr><td>
3 catégories de produits :
- Vanille Rouge Europe
- Vanille Rouge US
- Cuts</td></tr>
<tr><td>
<a href="http://www.vanipro.com/">Vanilla Planifolia</a></td></tr>
</table>
<p><a href="http://www.vanipro.com/">Vanilla Planifolia</a>
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