Vanilla: Health in Your Dessert – The Orchid Spice

New York cheesecake, Boston cream pie, crème brûlée. Sit down to enjoy any sweet dessert, and you’ll most likely find vanilla in it.

Vanilla is among the most used—and most enticing—flavors in the world. Some 10,000 tons a year are produced of this expensive spice, with demand far exceeding supply. (That’s why there’s so much imitation vanilla extract on store shelves.)

The Orchid Spice

Perhaps it’s not surprising that vanilla is so alluring when you consider its botanical pedigree. It’s the only edible member of the Orchid family, considered by many to be the loveliest of flowers. And perhaps vanilla’s association with the sensuous orchid is why this spice also has an aphrodisiacal reputation for enhancing romance. An ancient reputation.

Vanilla is native to Mexico, and its first domesticators—the Totonac culture of Mesoamerica, rivals of the Aztecs—told this lusty legend of its origin: the tropical vanilla orchid sprouted from the blood of the goddess Princess Xanat, beheaded by her father after she disobeyed him and ran away with her mortal lover. In the 18th century, husbands in Europe were told to drink a vanilla-rich tonic to increase their virility and fertility. And beginning with its introduction into Europe, vanilla has been an inspiring ingredient in perfumes.

But the traditional use of vanilla as a tonic went beyond the bedroom, according to Jenna Deanne Bythrow of Georgetown University, in an article on the spice in Seminars in Integrative Medicine. The Aztecs wore it as a “medicinal charm.” Spanish friars used it to treat patients who were “coughing and spitting up blood.” In the New World and the Old, it was an oft-used remedy for “woman’s troubles,” such as hysteria and depression. In European herbals of the 18th and 19th centuries, it was touted as a “nerve stimulant.” And a 19th-century American medical text praises its powers to “exhilarate the brain, prevent sleep, increase muscular energy, and stimulate the sexual energies.” Let’s all have another serving of Boston cream pie!

Investigating Vanillin

More than 200 phytonutrients—bioactive plant compounds—have been discovered in vanilla, and in the last two decades scientists have begun to investigate their healing potential. The compound receiving the most scrutiny is the spice’s main constituent: vanillin. Studies show it may play a promising role in two conditions:

Cancer. In the worldwide search for natural compounds to beat cancer, scientists have taken a close look at vanillin, in the test tube and in experimental animals.

In Malaysia, scientists found vanillin could kill human cancer cells, leading them to declare “it could be a useful colorectal cancer preventive agent.”

In Thailand, researchers found vanillin could limit metastasis—the movement of cancer cells from their original site to the rest of the body. It worked by turning off cancer-promoting enzymes (proteins that spark biochemical action) and by inhibiting angiogenesis, the creation of a new blood supply for the tumor. Japanese researchers found the same effects, concluding that vanillin “may be of value in the development of anti-metastatic drugs for cancer treatment.”

Make Your Own Extract

An ounce of pure vanilla extract and a vanilla bean cost about the same—around $2.50. You can save money without losing flavor by making your own extract. It’s easy. Here’s how:

Take two vanilla beans, split them in half, and place them in a clean jar with an airtight lid. A used mayonnaise jar will work.

Pour in a half cup of vodka—any kind will do—and tightly seal. Put it in a cool place out of sunlight. Turn the jar every day for six weeks. That’s it.

You can remove the beans or keep them in the jar, adding more vodka as you start using the extract.

In China, researchers found that bromovanin—a vanillin derivative—stopped the advance of a “broad spectrum” of human cancers, and suggested the compound was “very appealing for the development” of a new anti-cancer drug.

And researchers at the New York University School of Medicine found that vanillin is antimutagenic. In human cells, it reduced by up to 73 percent the ability of toxins to “mutate” DNA, the genetic damage that can trigger cancer. They also found that vanillin influenced 64 genes with a role in cancer, including genes that control how cancer cells grow and die.

Sickle cell anemia. This inherited and incurable disease warps the round, flexible shape of oxygen-carrying red blood cells into rigid, sticky “sickles”—curved slices of cells, like crescent moons. The misshapen cells snag and stall in the bloodstream, choking the flow of blood and oxygen and producing the disease’s main symptoms: intense pain and fatigue.

Vanilla is from the seed-containing pods of a tropical orchid.

Researchers at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia tested a vanillin-derived drug on mice bred to develop sickle cells, and found the compound “significantly reduced” the percentage of sickled cells. The compound, they concluded in the British Journal of Haematology, could be a “new and safe anti-sickling agent for patients with sickle cell anemia.”

Getting to Know Vanilla

The name vanilla is derived from the Spanish vainilla, or “little pod,” a reference to the thin, seed-containing pods of the tropical orchid, or what we now call the “vanilla bean.” Once grown only in Mexico (because the flower is naturally pollinated by a local species of bee), the worldwide crop of vanilla is now hand pollinated, a painstaking process that accounts in part for the spice’s expense (second only to saffron).

Vanilla was first used as a culinary spice in confections by Europeans in the 17th century. Today, it’s ubiquitous as a flavoring in pie fillings, ice cream (50 percent of the vanilla imported into the US is used to make ice cream), cakes, cookies, mousses, soufflés, rice desserts, and alcoholic drinks.

How to Buy Vanilla

Vanilla has a pervading, sweet fragrance that varies depending on where it’s grown. It’s sold in two forms: as a dried whole bean and as an extract. Both are available in most supermarkets. For the best taste, favor the bean. They come in several varieties:

French vanilla, also called bourbon vanilla, is arguably the best bean, containing the strongest aroma and the most vanillin. French beans are grown in Madagascar, Réunion Island, and the Comoro Islands, in the Indian Ocean. The majority of vanilla beans imported to the US are French beans; they’re the bean you’ll find in most markets.

Mexican vanilla lacks the depth of flavor found in French vanilla, say connoisseurs, though some vanilla mavens prefer it.

Vanilla may help prevent and/or treat:

Cancer

Sickle cell disease

___________________________________

Vanilla pairs well with these spices:

Almond

Aniseed

Cardamom

Chile

Cinnamon

Clove

Cocoa

Ginger

Mint

Nutmeg

Sesame seed

and complements recipes featuring:

Any sweet confection

Fruit

Milk and cream

Pears

Seafood

___________________________________

Other recipes containing vanilla:

Los Banos Low-Fat Brownies

Sesame Seared Tuna with Pickled Ginger and Vanilla Slaw

Indonesian vanilla, also known as New Guinea vanilla, is full-bodied, but has a spotty reputation when it comes to quality.

Tahitian vanilla is produced (not surprisingly) in Tahiti, but it’s also produced in Hawaii and other Pacific islands. It contains less vanillin and therefore less of the classic vanilla flavor than either French or Mexican beans. However, demand for the Tahitian bean is rising, as its unique flavor has made it popular among chefs.

West Indian vanilla is grown on the French Caribbean island of Guadeloupe. Because of its low vanillin content it’s not considered suitable as a spice, and is sold mainly to the cosmetics industry.

Vanilla beans are typically sold in cylindrical tubes, usually in quantities of three. Look for beans that are dark brown (almost black), moist to the touch, and pliable, like a piece of licorice. You may spot a dusting of sugar powder, called givre, on the surface of some beans. It’s a sign of a top-quality bean.

If you don’t buy the bean, buy pure (or natural) vanilla extract. To create extract, beans are chopped, soaked in alcohol, aged, and strained. The alcohol content is important to the quality: the higher the alcohol, the stronger the flavor. (By federal law, the alcohol minimum is 35 percent.)

Store vanilla beans or extract in an airtight container in a cool, dark place. Both keep for up to 18 months.

What about imitation vanilla extract, which contains no vanillin? This synthetic product mimics but doesn’t perfectly duplicate the flavor of true vanilla, and is considered a second-rate addition to the kitchen by vanilla connoisseurs. Be that as it may, there’s plenty of imitation vanilla extract out there: the demand for natural vanilla outstrips its availability.

Vanilla is also sold as a paste, which is used mainly in making ice cream and in restaurants.

Vanilla seeds, removed from the bean, are the most expensive form of vanilla. They have the deepest and strongest aroma.

Both paste and seeds can be purchased from specialty vanilla retailers, which you can find online. See the “Buyer’s Guide” for a list of top-quality online spice retailers.

In the Kitchen with Vanilla

Vanilla is usually found in sweet treats, though vanilla itself isn’t very sweet. (It’s the sugar in the confections that supplies the sweetness.) In fact, in Africa and other tropical nations, vanilla is used more frequently in savory stews than in sweet dishes. Western chefs have discovered this tasty use of the spice, and you’ll now spot vanilla sauces on entrée menus, mostly accompanying fish. Consider experimenting with vanilla in savory dishes in your kitchen.

When using fresh beans, slit along the middle and scrape out the seeds. Both the seeds and the pods are used in cooking.

Spicy Vanilla Rice Pudding

If served cold, this will keep in the refrigerator for two days.

1 cup basmati rice

2 cups water

1 three-inch cinnamon stick

1 teaspoon salt

3 cups whole milk

1½ cup half and half

 cup sugar

¼ teaspoon ground clove

1 teaspoon ground cardamom

1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise

Freshly grated nutmeg

1. Rinse the basmati rice with cold water until water runs clear. (Put the rice in a bowl, cover with water, and run it through a mesh strainer three times.) Put the water, rice, cinnamon stick, and salt in a heavy saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low and cover. Simmer until the water is absorbed, about 10 minutes.

2. Add the milk, half and half, sugar, cloves, and cardamom. Scrape in the seeds from the vanilla bean, then add the bean. Increase the heat to medium and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally until the mixture thickens and becomes creamy, about 40 minutes.

3. Remove the pudding from the heat, remove the cinnamon stick and the bean, and discard. Divide among four dessert bowls and grate fresh nutmeg over the top.

Makes 4 servings.

There is no need to discard the pod after using it. Let it dry out and bury it in a canister of sugar. You can reuse it several times before it completely gives up its flavor, putting it back in the sugar each time. (You can use the vanilla-scented sugar, too.)

Here are some sweet and savory ways to get more vanilla in your diet:

• Vanilla is exceptional with lobster, shrimp, or scallops. Make a cream sauce and spike it with vanilla beans.

• Vanilla marries well with butter. Sweeten butter sauces for savory dishes featuring fish or chicken with a little vanilla.

• Use vanilla to round out stronger flavors in salsas, chutney, and curries.

• Steep a split vanilla bean in coffee, cover, and chill. Serve with whipped cream and nutmeg.

• Add vanilla to fruit compotes featuring apples, gooseberries, and rhubarb.

• Add a drop or two of vanilla extract to holiday eggnog, or when you are whipping fresh cream.