possibly a dumb question but: there are different types of vanilla? what is the advantage of using one kind over another?
😊 there aren’t too many kinds of vanilla, but i use it (some would say overuse it) in everything, so i basically buy it whenever i see it!
there are 2 major types of vanilla beans - madagascar and tahiti
madagascar is the og vanilla (planifolia), which originated in mexico but isn’t grown there much anymore. it’s grown mostly in madagascar now, and in smaller amounts in a lot of other tropical/african/pacific island nations as well
tahitian is that planifolia crossed with another (vanilla odorata) to make vanilla tahitensis. it’s actually mostly grown in papua new guinea
then there are 2 different ways to cure/kill madagascar vanilla beans - bourbon, and mexican. (bourbon the drink isn’t actually involved in the process, it just originated in the french bourbon island near madagascar.) you steep the beans in hot water for a few minutes (time and temp varies by curer) to stop the plant growing, and this yields a soft bean
mexican curing is leaving the beans on concrete in the hot sun, which kills it in an afternoon. this yields a woodier bean
(tahitian beans on the other hand mature on the vine, and don’t get cured/killed!)
so, in a store, you’re likely to see 3 kinds of vanilla: madagascar bourbon, mexican, and tahitian. the first two are the same bean cured in different ways!
tahitian has a less vanilla-y and more floral flavor, and a very strong vanilla smell! a lot of bakers combine madagascar with tahitian, to get peak vanilla taste and smell in their finished dish
personally my fav is madagascar bourbon, but i do tend to save it for Special Baked Goods, bc it’s pricey! i mostly use tahitian vanilla, and i about double the amount to get a super strong vanilla flavor
(there’s also vanilla bean paste, which is God Tier afaic, it’s pulverized whole vanilla beans with some sugar and liquid. big flavor, plus fancy vanilla specks, you can’t beat it)
