Vanilla is one of the most expensive spices in the world. Its high price is due, among others, to origin and properties. Vanilla gives a unique and unique taste and aroma, which is why it is used in the kitchen. Check what other properties vanilla and vanilla oil obtained from it have.
Contents:
- Vanilla - what is the origin of this spice?
- Vanilla - he alth properties
- Vanilla - price, where to buy?
- Vanilla - a natural aphrodisiac
- Vanilla - interesting facts
- Vanilla can help treat sickle cell anemia
- Vanilla oil repels fluff and mosquitoes
- Vanilla - use in the kitchen
Vanillaflat-leaved ( Vanilla planifolia ) isspicewhich has many properties, thanks why it is used not only in the kitchen. Vanilla has a unique, deep, unrepeatable flavor and an intense but pleasant aroma.
However, it only takes it after it has been broken, when it is fermented and dried. Fresh vanilla is odorless. After the fermentation and drying process is completed, the vanilla pods not only smell beautiful, but also acquire a dark color, with a delicate white vanillin coating. It is vanillin that is responsible for the characteristic flavor and aroma of vanilla.
However, it is only a few percent. vanilla pods, therefore its acquisition is very limited, and the price - high. For this reason, a cheaper vanillin substitute of the same name is produced, incl. from lignin, eugenol or lignosulfonic acids.
Vanilla as it ages produces vanillin, which is responsible for the flavor and aroma of the spice. It has been assumed that the older the vanilla, the better it is.
Vanilla - what is the origin of this spice?
Vanilla is a spice whose origin is well known. Vanilla comes from the rainforests of South and Central America.
However, it is now cultivated in many places around the world. Currently, the main producer of this spice is Madagascar, where Bourbon vanilla (Bourbon vanilla) comes from.
There is also Moorish vanilla, which comes from Mauritius and Seychelles. However, vanilla is considered the best in terms of qualityoriginating in Mexico (Mexican Vanilla).
Vanilla - he alth properties
Vanilla will help with nervous tension and stress. Many researchers claim that the smell of vanilla can evoke positive feelings in people.
Spraying it in e.g. waiting rooms or clinics could alleviate patients' fear and reduce their reluctance towards medical staff.
In addition, vanilla will help people who have trouble sleeping. Just sprinkle the corner of the pillow with vanilla oil to help you fall asleep.
You can also usevanilla oilto aromatize the air (lamps, aroma fireplaces, humidifiers).
In addition, inhaling the aroma of vanilla inhibits the activity of centers in the brain that are responsible for eating stress. So if you eat sweets or crisps under stress, use vanilla to flavor your dishes.
Worth knowingVanilla - price, where to buy?
Vanilla is the second most expensive spice in the world, right after saffron. It costs over $ 600 per kilogram.
In Polish stores you have to pay 10 zlotys and more for one vanilla stick.
Vanilla - a natural aphrodisiac
Vanilla reduces the appetite for sweets, but increases the appetite for sex. In the Kamasutra, vanilla is considered to be one of the strongest aphrodisiacs.
All because of the content of phytoferomones - compounds that increase sexual activity. In South America, women, in order to seduce a man, give him drinking chocolate with a vanilla stick in it.
Worth knowingVanilla - interesting facts
1. The Aztecs called the vanilla fruit "tlilxochitl", which meant "black flower".
2. In pre-Columbian times, vanilla flowers were so valuable that taxes were paid on them.
3. Vanilla came to Europe in the 16th century thanks to the Spanish conquistadors. One of them was served Tlilxochitl - a chocolate drink in which vanilla sticks were dipped. Delighted with the taste, he decided to bring vanilla to Europe.
4. The name "vaynilla" (small pod) was first used in 1658 by naturalist Willem Piso.
5. In nature, vanilla flowers can pollinate only a few species of bees and hummingbirds that have developed the appropriate skill. For this and other reasons, vanilla flowers are mostly pollinated by hand.
6. Vanilla produces flowers that only open for a few hours during the day. If they are not dusty at that time - they fall.
7. There are over 100 species of vanilla, but only flat leaf vanilla is used in the food industry.
8. Vanilla is flavored with, inter alia, tobacco, although nowadays mainly a different species (Vanilla pompon) is used for this purpose
9. Vanilla is available in stores in four forms: vanilla pod, vanilla extract, vanilla powder and vanilla sugar.
Vanilla can help treat sickle cell anemia
Sickle cell anemia is a genetically determined disease in which red blood cells are deformed, which tend to stick together and form blockages in the vessels.
According to specialists from the Children's Hospital in Philadelphia, vanillin - a compound responsible for the taste and smell of vanilla - can prevent red blood cells from changing the shape. However, this effect of vanillin was only observed in test tubes.
In the human body, it is broken down by digestive enzymes and does not reach the bloodstream. Hence, a team of American scientists began research using a chemically modified variant of vanillin that is resistant to digestive enzymes - MX-1520.
The compound has been designed to transform into active vanillin in the body of humans and animals. The first attempts on rodents with sickle cell anemia were successful - most of the synthetic compound was converted into vanillin in their bodies, which prevented deformation of the red blood cells.
Vanilla oil repels fluff and mosquitoes
Vanilla oil repels fluff, mosquitoes and other insects, but its effect is short-lived because it evaporates quickly. In order to create a masking "cloud", it must be used frequently and in large amounts.
Vanilla oil masks the smell of sweat and body heat, which is where mosquitoes and other insects recognize people.
Vanilla - use in the kitchen
Vanilla is used in the kitchen mainly as an aromatic addition to desserts, although it also goes well with s alty dishes, e.g. fish and shellfish sauces, and in small amounts also with veal dishes.
The pulp inside the vanilla pod can be added to mousses, creams, ice cream, puddings. Whole sticks are put into drinks or sauces, then taken out, dried and used 3-4 times.
The kitchen also uses powder, vanilla oil and vanilla sugar. The latter is a must-have ingredient in cakes and other sweet pastries. However, vanilla contains only vanilla sugar, which is often confused with its synthetic counterpart, vanilla sugar.
How to make homemade vanilla sugar? Recipe
Source: x-news / Dzień Dobry TVN
