Terza Luna Spezie | Spezie Africane^Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla

VANILLA BOURBON MADAGASCAR

Madagascar Vanilla Beans

The Madagascar vanilla is the most well-known and prized in the Bourbon variety, making Madagascar the world’s leading producer of vanilla, as well as the top exporter of vanilla beans, despite competition from other countries such as Tahiti and Indonesia. Today, Bourbon vanilla, where it is cultivated, can be manually pollinated, but until the 19th century it was impossible to cultivate it outside of its natural habitat, leaving Mexico, where flower pollination occurs thanks to a type of bee, the Melipona, with the monopoly on vanilla bean production.

Madagascar Bourbon vanilla is an extremely precious product due to the laborious production process and the uncertainty of the crops on which the often high price of vanilla beans depends, very sensitive to periods of scarcity in the market.

Vanilla Bourbon: Properties and Benefits

The properties and benefits derived from the use of vanilla beans are multiple and greatly aid in the proper functioning of the body.

• Antistress. Madagascar vanilla beans have an excellent relaxing effect on our nervous system, proving to be a great ally in cases of anxiety thanks to its calming effect.
• Insomnia. Its calming and relaxing effect is very effective even in cases of insomnia due to high stress and anxiety.
• Aphrodisiac. Vanilla beans contain molecules similar to pheromones, substances that are emitted mainly by humans to attract the opposite sex. In the past, it was often used in cases of lack of sexual desire.
• Natural antidepressant. Very useful for stimulating the feeling of well-being and good mood, helping to loosen tensions. It induces relaxation and provides a sense of fullness and physical satisfaction. Its scent is also used to control nervous hunger, often linked to a sense of emptiness and dissatisfaction.
• Stomach and intestine. Consuming Bourbon vanilla stimulates the production of gastric juices, aiding the digestive process. It thins biliary secretion and therefore has tonic properties for the stomach and intestines.

Contraindications

Fortunately, there are no particular contraindications or side effects resulting from the use of vanilla beans. However, it is possible to develop a hypersensitivity to vanillin upon contact with the skin, causing skin reactions similar to reddish spots. Allergies to Madagascar vanilla are very rare, rather allergies are more likely to be caused by the use of synthetic vanillin.

How to use Bourbon Vanilla?

Madagascar vanilla comes in beans, or pods, containing vanilla seeds. To use them, make a incision along the pod and scrape the seeds and pulp with the tip of a knife, which can be used especially in pastry but also in savory preparations or in making a vanilla bourbon liqueur.

Uses in the Kitchen of Vanilla Berries

Recipes with Madagascar vanilla are countless. The seeds obtained from bourbon vanilla beans can be infused in milk used in the preparation of creams and puddings, as well as in cream for a great Madagascar vanilla ice cream. Since Madagascar bourbon vanilla is expensive, it is good to use it fully in recipes to not waste even a bit of its fragrance. Once the vanilla seeds are removed, the bourbon vanilla bean can be infused in milk or hot teas to flavor them, or to create new recipes. After this use, the vanilla bean can be dried and left to dry in a jar of sugar, for a great vanilla bourbon from Madagascar flavored sugar to enjoy in coffee or sweet preparations. After the first use, in fact, good Madagascar vanilla beans will still retain their sweet aroma, albeit less intensely. Once dried, the vanilla pod can even be ground and stored in an airtight jar, to be used when you don’t have a fresh bourbon vanilla bean. For fresh beans, the best method of storing bourbon vanilla is in airtight containers in cool, dry places.

Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla: Origin and Cultivation

The vanilla bean is the fruit of Vanilla planifolia, an orchid plant native to Mexico whose most prized production today comes from Madagascar. The term vanilla, in fact, means pod. Originally, the vanilla bean grows from orchid plants in humid tropical forests, but the quality of this product has made its cultivation widespread, allowing the cultivation of bourbon vanilla.

Mainly, this spice must be cultivated in a warm and humid climate, and needs shade and a support for the plant to anchor to, but the most important moment in vanilla cultivation is the pollination of the flowers, which must be done correctly. Pollination must be done manually on each vanilla flower, early in the morning since the flowers have a lifespan of a few hours, bringing the stamen with pollen to the stigma.

Very popular in the court of Versailles, it was King Louis XIV who tried to introduce vanilla to the French island of Réunion, then called Bourbon in honor of the royal family, but without success. Only centuries later, a young boy, a young slave from Bourbon, managed to pollinate the flowers with the manual pollination method still used today. This discovery made Bourbon the first center of production of high-quality vanilla beans, and the young slave was given the nickname ‘d’Albius’, because of the white color of the vanilla flowers.

In Madagascar, vanilla cultivation was introduced by Bourbon growers, as the two islands are a few hundred kilometers apart and have a similarly favorable climate for vanilla plants. In a short time, Madagascar surpassed the production of bourbon vanilla beans by orders of magnitude.

Despite the disastrous climatic conditions that have severely damaged bourbon vanilla crops, Terza Luna manages to offer you Madagascar Bourbon vanilla beans, 2020 harvest, from Madagascar.

Bourbon Vanilla: where to buy it?

The best quality of Bourbon vanilla comes from the widespread cultivation on the island of Madagascar. Where to buy it then? On Terzaluna, you can find Bourbon vanilla beans for sale online, specially selected by Madagascar growers to offer you the best quality of this product to use in your pastry preparations.

Price

Madagascar Bourbon vanilla beans have a price due to the scarcity of the product on the market.

The price refers to a single bean of about 12-13 cm.

• 2 Vanilla beans are 10.90€ instead of 12€, saving 1.10€.
• 4 beans are 20.90€ instead of 24€, saving 3.10€.

Discover our variety of African Spices. If you enjoyed Madagascar bourbon vanilla, explore our wide selection of African spices online!