Patricia Rain's "Vanilla: A Cultural History of the World's Favorite Flavor and Fragrance" spotlights "the only edible fruit of the orchid family."
 | Patricia Rain's "Vanilla: A Cultural History of the World's Favorite Flavor and Fragrance" spotlights "the only edible fruit of the orchid family."
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Patricia Rain's latest book, "Vanilla: A Cultural History of the World's Favorite Flavor and Fragrance," joins a growing genre that provides the cultural history of a single food substance which has had enormous impact economically, politically and socially, yet is often taken for granted. I'm thinking, for instance, of Mark Kurlansky's books on salt and cod, and Larry Zuckerman's book, "The Potato: How the Humble Spud Rescued the Western World." It is a genre I just can't seem to get enough of.
Today, aromatic vanilla beans — the only edible fruit of the orchid family — and their extract show up in our coffee, tea, perfumes, lotions and medicines. Furthermore, vanilla remains the Number 1 favorite flavor in ice cream year in and year out, and is used in more than half the desserts sold worldwide.
Who better to tell the story of vanilla than Patricia Rain, the self-styled "Vanilla Queen," whose educational training was in anthropology, but who is now a culinary historian and lecturer, and, more important, a leading vanilla broker, consultant and president of The Vanilla Company. She tells the intriguing story of how, over the last 800 years, "this extraordinary little bean saved the indigenous peoples of southeastern Mexico, put Madagascar on the map, spurred trade routes across the Indian Ocean, and drove the success of the great Parisian perfume houses and Europe's confection industry."
Because vanilla is the most labor-intense agricultural crop in the world, it is and has always been expensive, leading to a long history of robbery and murder, which continues even to this day. It takes up to three years after the vines are planted before the first vanilla orchid flowers appear, and the fruit must remain on the vine for nine months before it can be harvested.
Further, because orchids typically do not self-pollinate, they are pollinated by hand — usually by women and children — and the drying and curing processes are even more painstaking. The vanilla orchid will only grow within 25 degrees of the equator, so Tahiti, Madagascar, and Mexico are the leading growers these days.
Ms. Rain's company Web site, www.vanilla.com, and her free electronic newsletter, are not only captivating sources of information about vanilla — such as the growing research on its remarkable medicinal properties — but are unusually personal. Ms. Rain shares updates on her condition since being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2004, and has initiated an international tropical farmers network which aims to assist producers of commodities such as coffee and chocolate, as well as vanilla.
Patricia Rain is the author of six books, including a cookbook, "The Vanilla Chef." Yet even in her cultural history of what the Totonac Indians called "the fruit of the gods," she can't resist throwing in recipes featuring her own, and the world's, favorite flavor. Immediately below is one for homemade vanilla extract, which Ms. Rain claims isn't as strong as commercially made extracts but may have a fuller flavor.
HOMEMADE VANILLA EXTRACT
"Vanilla: The Cultural History
of the World's Favorite Flavor and Fragrance"
by Patricia Rain (Tarcher/Penguin 2004)
It doesn't matter which alcohol you choose for making the extract — it's more a question of what you prefer. Vodka has the least flavor to interfere with the taste of the vanilla. Because rum is sweet, it's the best for making cordials, and vanilla brandy imparts a delicious flavor when poured over freshly baked cakes or added to winter fruit compotes.
5 vanilla beans
1 pint high-quality vodka, rum or brandy
Split the vanilla beans lengthwise down the center to expose the seeds, keeping the ends of the beans intact. Place beans in a bottle with the vodka, rum or brandy. Store in a cool, dark place such as a cupboard or closet for at least 4 weeks. Shake the bottle several times a week.
To use, either remove 4 of the beans for another purpose (you can add them to a fresh bean to make more extract, or you can use them for cooking), or let all the beans remain in the bottle, and periodically add more alcohol to keep the bottle replenished. Eventually, the beans will lose their strength, but they should retain flavor for many months.
For gift making, decant the extract into special bottles, add one vanilla bean to each, attach a label, and voila — you have a very attractive gift. Tie a couple of extra beans to the bottle with raffia and include directions for making more extract.
Makes about 1 pint.
FRESH CREAMED CORN
"Vanilla: The Cultural History
of the World's Favorite Flavor and Fragrance"
by Patricia Rain (Tarcher/Penguin 2004)
This recipe is especially good made with fresh white corn.
4 cups fresh or frozen corn (white or yellow)
¼ cup (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter
1 5-ounce can whole or low-fat evaporated milk, or 5 ounces light cream
5 ounces chicken or vegetable stock
1 heaping tablespoon cornstarch
1 heaping teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Salt and pepper to taste
Parsley, chopped chives, fresh herbs, or tomato chunks for garnish
If using fresh corn, cut kernels from ears, removing all corn silk. Place butter in a large frying pan or 4-quart pan over medium heat. When butter is melted, add corn and stir to combine. Add evaporated milk or cream, stock, cornstarch and sugar. Cook, stirring constantly until the mixture thickens, about 5 to 6 minutes. Add vanilla and salt and pepper and serve garnished with parsley, chopped chives, fresh herbs, or tomato chunks.
Serves 6.
Patricia Rain, The Vanilla Queen, will be a guest on Pat Tanner's radio show, "Dining Today" on Saturday, June 25, beginning at 9 a.m. on MoneyTalk AM 1350 and over www.moneytalk1350.com.
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