Reasons Why Vanilla Is the Second Costliest Spice on The Earth

1. Reasons Why Vanilla Is the Second Costliest Spice on The Earth Have you ever wondered why vanilla beans are the second costliest spice in the world? That is because from where it can be grown, to how to make vanilla extract, the whole journey is time- consuming, delicate and needs years of training. So, take this journey and you will have a new respect for the vanilla in your pantry. Cultivation The ideal climate to grow vanilla is a warm, humid climate with rich well-drained soil. The plant can grow from either seedlings or cutting. The first one is better because they are more resilient and adaptive to changing environments, but they grow slowly. The plants need a lot of space so can’t be planted closely. The plant also needs regular care from pruning to providing support as it is a climbing vine.

2. Pollination The reason why Europeans couldn’t grow vanilla in Europe even in conservatories because only a specific kind of bee found in Mexico could pollinate the flower. This is why a botanist suggested hand pollination, but even that was not successful so much until a slave on the island of Bourbon (now Reunion) mastered it. Today, vanilla is pollinated by hand, either by the traditional method of using a small stick to transfer pollen or by using the modern method of using a pollinating gun that shoots pollen. Whichever it is, pollination of vanilla takes time manpower, and years of training before one can do it successfully.

3. Harvesting and curing Vanilla plants start production after three years of planting. The fruits look like long beans and are green in colour. When they turn yellow, then only can it be harvested. The pods are delicate and need to be harvested by hand. Once it is harvested, it needs to be dried before the distinctive vanilla smell and colour is seen. The drying or curing process can be done in four different ways. The traditional method is sun drying but needs constant attention and produces the best results. The second is drying it in a dehydrator which can be done in a few days and doesn’t need that much attention. However, the resulting vanilla beans have a burnt or smokey flavour. The third is fermentation where the pods are wrapped in banana leaves and left to ferment for two weeks. Like sun drying, the result is great but needs lots of attention. Last is the freeze drying where the beans are frozen and then vacuum sealed. The resulting vanilla beans have a slightly different flavour than those done by traditional method, but it has a consistent taste and smell. Extraction Vanilla can be used in the form of vanilla pods after the curing process. The best ones are those which have been aged for at least three months. Vanilla pods or beans are sold in vacuum-sealed packets so that their flavour and smell remain intact. As for extraction, there are two ways of doing it. The first method is by using alcohol, and it is the most common method. The pods or beans are soaked in alcohol which dissolves the flavour compounds in vanilla. It is then evaporated and what is left is vanilla extract. Ethanol or propylene glycol can also be used as a solvent in this process. Higher- quality extract is done by using carbon dioxide under high pressure. This is called supercritical CO2 extraction, and it is expensive. So, you see from planting to extraction, vanilla beans need the utmost care, attention, and human resources. This is why it is one of the costliest spices in the world. To explore more visit: www.neugininaturals.com.au