American Baker in Germany

When I post recipes that calls for vanilla, I will also list the measurements for vanilla sugar as well as vanilla extract. I've gotten some questions about it. So, I decided it was time to explain. What's the deal with vanilla sugar? First off, let's talk about vanilla itself. Vanilla orchids are native to Mexico and Central America and were brought over to Europe by Cortez along with chocolate. Today, vanilla is cultivated in Mexico, Madagascar, Reunion Island and Indonesia. By the way, bourbon vanilla has nothing to do with alcohol. It comes from the former name of Reunion Island: Ile Bourbon. Vanilla flavor is extracted from the vanilla bean which is the seed pods of the vanilla orchid. In order to create a seed pod, the vanilla orchid must be pollinated by hand, which makes it labor intensive. Hence, vanilla beans are very expensive. They're the second most expensive spice in the world behind saffron. *Photo source: wholesalesuppliesplus.com The most flavo...