Buttery & Creamy Flavor of Madagascar Vanilla Beans: Ideal for Baking & Brewing

No one has ever thought that vanilla, an ordinary and unimpressive ingredient, will rule the culinary world one day. Vanilla beans hold a special place in the spice boxes in master chefs’ kitchen worldwide. After all, its alluring and unique flavour adds taste to cookies, cakes, ice-cream, chocolates and many beauty products. You will find different kinds of vanilla beans in the marketplace, but Madagascar vanilla beans top the chart.

Why is that so?

It is not surprising to hear that as a common person you are interested in knowing why Madagascar beans are so popular. To put it simply, Madagascar beans are the seed pod or fruit of the orchid species – vanilla planifolia. This orchid belongs to Mexico and is widely grown vanilla specie both in Mexico and Madagascar. Besides Madagascar, Tahiti is another popular variety of the vanilla beans.

USP of Madagascar Vanilla Beans

Some of the unique traits of these beans are mentioned below:

1. These beans are gourmet beans with a rich and creamy flavor. Their intense aroma make them ideal ingredient to add in desserts. The floral, earthy and sweet flavor of the beans makes them stand apart from other varieties.
2. The grade A beans are 5 to 7 inches long, and contain moisture content up to 35% on an average. These beans are filled with millions of pliable, tiny and soft vanilla seeds.  It is crucial to scrape out these seeds in the right manner to give the desired taste in any dish. The Grade B beans have certain imperfections and are 5 inches long with moisture content up to 20-25%.
3. Vanillin is one of the main compounds that delivers warm and creamy flavors to any dish. Madagascar vanilla beans contain the highest concentrations of the vanillin, which make them so richly flavored. Besides natural vanillin flavor, it contains over 250 compounds exhibiting floral, spicy and fruity flavors.
4. Due to intense flavor and aroma, these beans are the first choice for preparing dishes like cakes, ice-creams and pudding. Moreover, one can prepare vanilla extract, powder or sugar from these high-quality beans. If experts to believe, Madagascar beans are the only beans that are ideal to use for cooking, baking, brewing, preparing desserts and extract making. Isn’t it surprising? One variety of bean with so many applications.

Lip-Smacking Madagascar Vanilla Beans Recipe

If you are trying hands in cooking for the first time, here are a few quick and easy recipes to start with:

1. Cupcakes: If you have a sweet tooth, you should give a try to vanilla bean cupcakes. Topped with almond flakes and almond scented cream, the taste and appearance is retreat to both eyes and palette.
2. Vanilla Oatmeal: Do try a wonderful combination of oats and vanilla. If you are a health freak, you will really go gaga over this combination. In case, you do not like eating oatmeals as breakfast, no need to fret. Simply prepare and keep the dish in a freezer; it will be the best dessert you have ever tasted.
3. Coffee Vanilla Milkshake: You have purchased Madagascar beans but not tried the coffee shake yet? Not acceptable. Simply take almond cake, 1 scraped vanilla beans, crushed ice cubes and ½ cup of brewed coffee. Combine all ingredients, blend them and enjoy healthy and taste coffee vanilla milk shake.

Storage & Shelf Life

The average shelf life of Madagascar vanilla beans is 2 years when stored properly. So, if you are buying the beans in small quantities, you need not to worry about its right storage. However, if the story is other way around, you should wrap the fresh beans in a zip lock bag and place it inside the air tight container. As and when required, take the few beans and store them again in the aforementioned way.

So, if you really want to try the aforementioned recipes and willing to purchase Madagascar vanilla beans in a bulk, look for online suppliers.  Simply select one supplier, check its delivery in your area and place the order.