Cured Vanilla Beans

Cured Vanilla Beans are the pod-shaped capsular fruit (10 - 15 cm in length diameter 5 - 15 mm) of the plant Vanilla planifolia which belongs to the orchid family (Orchidaceae). The pods are harvested when unripe and are then fermented and dried. The plants are woody climbers and are cultivated on plantations on wooden posts.

The aroma substance vanillin is only formed during the fermentation process and is deposited as fine white crystals on the fruit which during this process has become dark brown to almost black tough flexible lengthwise slightly wrinkly and slightly lustrous. The vanilla pods contain a black/brown fruit pulp with numerous small seeds. Since manual labor is required both for pollinating vanilla blossoms and for harvesting the fruit natural vanilla is today generally replaced with the synthetic flavor substances vanillin and ethyl vanillin to reduce costs.