Vaniglia Tahiti

Delicate vanilla taste with hints of plum and spicy bread. The most desired excellent product in the world.

Recipe measurements:: 50 gr/kg mix
Packaging:: crt kg 6 - can kg 3
Code:: 219276

Cold Processing

Product details

Ingredients

Vanilla Tahiti

TAHITIAN vanilla

The Tahitian Vanilla plant: Vanilla Tahitensis

• Native of Mexico
Vanilla is a member of the Mexican orchidaceae plant family. In 1841, a young slave from the Reunion Islands selectively bred a plant so that it gave birth to the first pods. Vanilla is not a native plant to the Polynesian flora; it was introduced in 1848 for the first time by a French admiral. Adapting to the new environment, caused the imported varieties to develop unique features that marked the birth of a new species – the vanilla tahitensis.

• Une variété unique
Of the three varieties of vanilla from Madagascar, Reunion and Tahiti, the latter has the richest aroma. This is because it does not open when it matures and keeps its original freshness. This means that, when it ripens, it can be collected at the best time for its maximum flavour and aroma.

• A unique aroma
Unlike other varieties, the Tahitian vanilla is characterised by the large amount of anise aroma compounds. Para-hydroxybenzoic acid is present in large amounts. Paradoxically, vanillin is present in much less significant amounts. Anisic aldehyde, and methyl-anisate, two important aroma components, are present. It is the combination of these elements that gives life to the typical bouquet that made the Tahitian vanilla so famous.

CULTIVATION

Vanilla tahitensis is the most common and is grown almost exclusively in the more windward islands such as Raiatea and Huahine. The vanilla plant prefers to grow in a shady woodland habitat. It is abundant in the valleys and wetlands where it is protected from the wind and sun.
To grow and prosper, vanilla needs a substrate to develop its roots. It is a variety of climbing orchid with long, fleshy leaves. It wraps around a support, often a bush or tree called pīti’i or candlenut, which is also known as ti’a’iri.

"Marriage" of Tahitian vanilla
Tahitian vanilla fertilization must be done manually – this propagation is known as "marriage" - and takes place during flowering, from July to October. A spike pierces the membrane that lines the male and female organs of the flower, so that they can touch. Since the flowers last for just a few hours, the procedure is carried out immediately after they blossom, usually between 6am and 2pm. The fruits of this fertilization are 15 to 20 cm long pods.
Nine to ten months after the "marriage", the tips of the pods become pale green, then yellow and finally brown. This colour is the signal for manual harvesting which takes place from March to July. Once harvested, the pods are transported to the processing plant where they will undergo a long process. The pods are left to rest in the dark for about five days until they become a uniform brown colour. At that point the drying begins. Every day, the pods are exposed to sunlight for a few hours. Then they are left to dry in a dry and well ventilated area. The operation is repeated until the vanilla loses about three quarters of its water but does not dry out completely. It is a delicate and demanding process that will determine the final aroma. After at least three months and up to seven months for the larger pods, Tahitian vanilla is finally ready for the market.

"Luxury Vanilla"

Thanks to its quality and rarity (it represents less than a single percent of total world production), Tahitian vanilla is considered a "luxury vanilla".
In the gastronomy and pastry fields the plant is more popular, and many great Parisian pastry chefs visit Tahiti to obtain this precious spice.