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Vanilla of Madagascar
Preparation
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The Art of Preparation
After the harvest of the “green” vanilla beans comes the time of “preparation” of the vanilla.
This traditional process of transformation of a fruit with little aroma into a wonderfully perfumed spice is realized with bare technical means that are adapted to the socio-economic zones of production.
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Even though the fundamental principles were developed in Mexico a long time ago, the method used by the “preparers” was designed by Ernest Loupy, a native of the Island of Reunion, whom in 1851 elaborated the process of preparation said “indirect”.
That method consists of an initial and brutal shock that kills the bean, followed by a succession of operations of transformation, drying in the shade, then in the sun, triage, classification, measuring, and gauging.
The entire process takes approximately 8 months.
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First Step: The Warming
It is the operation of mortification or killing of the tissues of the “green” beans. It is the initial thermal shock of dipping the beans in water at 60-to 65 degrees centigrade during 1 to 3 minutes.
The “warming” stops the ripening of the beans and starts the hydrolyze that converts the precursors to the rich flavoring elements.
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Second step: The Sweating
A sweating during 24 to 72 hours of the “cooked” beans in boxes padded with blankets avoids the opening of the fruit and slows down the drying of the beans and helps the enzymatic activity needed for the development of the rich flavoring.
During this time the beans loose a large part of their moisture by sweating.
They also become suppler and get their brown chocolate color.
The opening of the boxes at this stage offers a first idea of the final aroma.
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Third Step: Drying in the Sun
A daily drying in the sun helps to stabilize the product.
It also avoids the development of molds and their olfactive degradations.
The transformation of the beans aroma done this way helps to keep a minimum of moisture. For 10 days the beans dry naturally in the sun during the day and sweat in rolled blankets at night.
After the sun drying, the beans continue to dry at a slower rate. The entire curing process takes about three months.
Regularly the beans that are sufficiently dried are taken out and placed on some racks for the next step: the drying in the shade.
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Fourth step: Drying in the Shade
A slow drying on racks in the well-ventilated storage sheds allows to stabalze the product furthermore.
During the drying in the shade the enzyme reaction that started during the first few stages continues and conditions the development of the natural vanilla flavoring. This step can last one to two months.
The beans are regularly flipped over and controlled.
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During this process the split beans are separated from the beans that are not split.
Then they are classified according to their moisture content, their color or quality (black, T4, supple red, red extract).
The beans are placed in boxes in boxes walled with sulfurised paper to isolate the outside humidity that could ruin the quality of the vanilla.
The vanilla is completely cured when the proper moisture content is reached.
And the beans have darkened to a sweet, rich aroma.
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