Vanilla is an unripe fruit of an orchid (one of the orchids whose fruits are eaten). India is the leader in the production of this spice. It is noteworthy that in order for the spice to give its magical aroma, a lot of work is required!
- First, pods of vanilla are immersed for 20 seconds in hot water (80-85 °C), after which they are wrapped in woolen blankets and stored at a temperature of 60 °C.
- After a day, they are brought out into the sun for exactly one hour.
- The next day – for an hour and ten minutes.
- Each day, the time the vanilla pods stay in the sun will be added by exactly ten minutes. And so – within a month.
- Gradually, vanilla begins to give off its smell – fragile, sweet and refreshing, acquiring a spicy bitter taste and a brown color.
Then the final stage of drying takes place – the vanilla pods are taken out into the open air, in the shade, and dried until a white coating appears on them.
During the entire process of turning vanilla into a spice, it loses 2/3 of its weight, but acquires all the necessary properties.
Vanilla processing lasts for a month and only the skill of the producer affects the final result.
