VANILLA in FRENCH POLYNESIA
by Bill Drennon
CONTACT ME HERE -- POLYNESIAN WEATHER AND LIVE CAMS -- HOME PAGE -- DRENNON's POLYNESIAN JUKEBOX
Return to Feb 17 - Mar 2 French Polynesian Excursion
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A Brief History of the Vanilla Orchid
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Vanilla was one of the gifts from the New World. Vanilla was first discovered by the Spanish on the tropical gulf coast of Mexico. Vanilla was taken back to Spain as a "perfume." In 1519, Cortez discovered that Vanilla was also used as a flavoring. Up through the 19th century, Mexico was the only exporter of Vanilla. However, it has since spread from Mexico across the tropics. Today, the major Vanilla producers are Madagascar and Indonesia. Tahitian Vanilla is a cultivated variety of the Mexican orchid. Today Taha'a, the sister island of Raitea, is the main producer of Vanilla in the French Society Islands.
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The Tahitian Vanilla Orchid Mutation
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The Original Mexican Vanilla Orchid
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Cultivation of Vanilla
Vanilla Cultivation on Taha'a
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Vanilla is the only orchid fruit that we consume. The vanilla orchid's natural pollinators in Mexico were bats. However, the flower is hand pollinated in modern cultivation. Since my visit to the Society Islands was in February and the flowers are produced and pollinated in the fall, I do not have pictures of the pollination technique. If you are interested in seeing the hand-pollination technique, go to http://www.sdahldtp.com/pollinate.htm. After the vanilla flower is cultivated, a vanilla "bean" (which is actually a seed pod containing thousands of little seeds) is produced. The green seed pod will remain on the orchid vine for nine months. At the end of nine months, the bean can be picked. However, at that time, the orchid "bean" will have no flavor and no smell.
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Green "vanilla beans" in February on Taha'a
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After nine months on the vine, the vanilla beans are harvested. At this point they have no flavor or fragrance. After harvest, the beans are blanched with hot water to stop photosynthesis. They are then placed in the sun every day and rolled up in cloth at night for several weeks to several months until they have shrunk to 20% of their original size. After they have finished the heat-shrink stage, the beans are sorted for size and quality. The vanilla seed pods will rest several months longer in order to develop their full flavor and fragrance. The entire curing process takes about three months. At the end of the process their scent and flavor are outstanding.
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Vanilla beans being cured
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How To Use Vanilla Beans
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If the bean is too dry you may wish to first moisten it, so that you can cut through the bean. Slice the Bean longitudinally to expose the inside and outside of the bean, including the thousands of seeds. This will expose more surface area and impart more fragrance and flavor.
Place the bean inside coffee grounds, inside coffee beans, inside a sugar jar, into beverages. The longer the exposure to the bean, the more flavor it imparts.
Some recipes only ask for vanilla seeds. However, the entire seed pod can be used. Indeed, you can grind up the entire bean in a blender and use it in recipes. For a good source of recipes for the vanilla bean, try http://www.vanilla.com/html/recipeintro.html
For Tahitian recipes with Vanilla beans, see http://www.lavanillere.com/recettes_eng.htm#gousses.
As a rule of thumb, 1 vanilla bean = 1 - 2 tsp of pure vanilla extract.
HOW TO MAKE VANILLA SUGAR
Split a bean down the middle and place in a jar of sugar. After two weeks, the vanilla sugar should be ready to use.
CONTACT ME HERE -- POLYNESIAN WEATHER AND LIVE CAMS -- HOME PAGE -- DRENNON's POLYNESIAN JUKEBOX
Return to Feb 17 - Mar 2 French Polynesian Excursion
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