Vanilla Planifolia MDG

Bourbon vanilla from Madagascar – the queen of spices

Vanilla Planifolia from Madagascar is considered the benchmark among vanilla varieties. The pods of the Bourbon vanilla are distinguished by their intense, creamy aroma – full-bodied, sweet, lightly woody and with a buttery depth that synthetic vanillin never reaches. Madagascar is today the most important growing region for Vanilla planifolia, which originally comes from Mexico and was brought to its present varietal perfection on La Réunion (formerly: Bourbon).

Quality and processing

Our vanilla pods are harvested fully ripe, traditionally fermented and slowly dried. The result: an oily, dark-brown pod that is easy to hollow out and releases the seeds in large quantity. Each pack contains 2 vanilla pods – carefully selected for consistent quality.

How to use

• Scrape out the vanilla seeds – cut the pod lengthwise and scrape out the seeds with the back of a knife. For creams, puddings, ice cream and pastries
• Cook the whole pod – in milk foam, in compote, mulled wine or gravies for a subtle vanilla aroma
• Make your own vanilla sugar – put scraped pods in sugar and let steep for 2 weeks
• Flavour vanilla oil or vinegar – put pods in neutral oil or white wine vinegar

Recipe idea: classic crème brûlée

Heat 500 ml cream with 1 vanilla pod (seeds scraped out, cook the pod along) to 80 °C, let steep for 20 minutes. Remove the pod. Whisk 5 egg yolks with 80 g sugar until creamy, slowly stir in the cream. Pour into moulds, let set for 50 minutes at 150 °C in a water bath. Chill, caramelise with brown sugar before serving.