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Some ice cream around here is marketed as the flavor "Mexican vanilla".

It seems sweeter and has obvious vanilla seeds (or something that looks similar). Is there a type of vanilla pod that is uniquely Mexican? Or does the flavor mean "vanilla in a Mexican style" and refer to some technique?

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I'm a little confused what everyone is talking about because vanilla is native to Mexico. Just Google Vanilla origin. The Toltecs were the first to cultivate it. The Spaniards later introduced it to Europe. – John Apr 2 at 18:36
@John We're talking about what's currently produced and sold, not the origins of vanilla. There's vanilla which is produced in Mexico and sold as Mexican vanilla, and it is not necessarily the same thing as what's produced elsewhere. – Jefromi♦ Apr 2 at 18:55

3 Answers

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There are several distinct species of the vanilla orchid used for food flavouring, the most common being vanilla planifolia, vanilla tahitiensis and vanilla pompona (in that order).

Vanilla planifolia is usually marketed as "Bourbon vanilla", most of which is grown in Indonesia and Madagascar. The same species is also grown in Mexico, but they have decided to call it "Mexican vanilla", which is purely a marketing designation. At least the Mexicans claim their vanilla to be of superior quality, but the vanilla extracts sold in Mexico are often stretched with tonka bean extract, which has a similar taste and aroma to vanilla, but contains coumarin, which is banned as a food additive by the US Food & Drug Administration. Other countries have less strict regulations, often only regulating a maximum coumarin content.

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1  
Plants being the same species doesn't really tell you anything about whether they have the same flavor. (Cauliflower and kale are the same species.) Even being the same cultivar doesn't necessarily mean that the flavor is the same. (To pick a couple examples, onions and wine grapes have very different flavors depending on where they were grown.) – Jefromi♦ Jun 20 '12 at 1:59
@Jefrome: Of course both climate and the soil can have impact on the plants. I am however pretty sure that you can find larger differences between vanilla from e.g. two different Malagasy farms or two different Mexican farms than any general difference between Mexican vanilla or vanilla from any other country. – Tor-Einar Jarnbjo Jun 20 '12 at 16:02
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I guess I just think it takes a bit of justification to say that it's purely a marketing designation, when it seems quite plausible that there would be real differences. Your comment is a start at that. – Jefromi♦ Jun 20 '12 at 17:57
up vote 4 down vote

According to my favorite source of spices, Penzeys, there is a difference between Madagascar Vanilla

Regarded as the world's best, Madagascar beans set the standard for prime vanilla flavor.

and Mexican Vanilla

Mexican beans, while similar to Madagascar, have a darker flavor that is perfect for vanilla liqueur and coffee drinks.

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up vote 3 down vote

Vanilla "beans" or pods go through an extensive process to give the flavor you know. One of the main differences in vanilla produced in various regions is the tweaking of this process.

First, vanilla is heated to kill the pod to prevent sugar from turning to starch, and to break down cell walls. After this is a repeated process of exposure to sun and wrapping in cloth--this stage develops vanillin, the main flavor component. Lastly, the pods are straightened and dried to further develop flavor. It is in this last stage that mexican vanilla differs most significantly--whereas vanilla from Madagascar may take about 5 weeks, Mexican vanilla will cure for several months.

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This sounds interesting but it kind of conflicts with other answers that say that Mexican vanilla is cheaper quality. Do you have references for this? – Sobachatina Jun 22 '12 at 16:19
Yes--straight from Harold McGee's "On Food and Cooking" (pages 431-432) – Ray Jun 22 '12 at 18:01
I don't think this answer contradicts e.g., that of Tor-Einar Jarnbjo. That the bean may be of generally higher quality does not imply that there are no less-than-scrupulous extract-makers adulterating the extract. – Ray Jun 22 '12 at 18:13
@Ray- I agree that those statements independently don't contradict but as answers to my question one is "it's better" and one is "it's worse." – Sobachatina Jun 22 '12 at 19:49

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