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Forget Plain Vanilla: You'll Never See The World's Favorite Flavor the Same Way Again

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Manage episode 522295308 series 131718
Content provided by Cynthia Graber and Nicola Twilley, Cynthia Graber, and Nicola Twilley. All podcast content including episodes, graphics, and podcast descriptions are uploaded and provided directly by Cynthia Graber and Nicola Twilley, Cynthia Graber, and Nicola Twilley or their podcast platform partner. If you believe someone is using your copyrighted work without your permission, you can follow the process outlined here https://podcastplayer.com/legal.

Today, 'vanilla' often means boring, and yet the edible seedpod of this Central American orchid is one of the most expensive spices in the world, not to mention one of the most popular flavors globally. So how did this coveted bean get such a ho-hum reputation? Listen in this episode as Gastropod travels to vanilla's homeland in the highlands of Veracruz, Mexico, to investigate. It's a tale of botanical piracy, beaver butts, and ice-cream barges, in which an ingenious enslaved tween and the product of pulp paper waste combine to transform vanilla from a complex and sophisticated elite treat into the single-note synonym for dull. Plus, we meet the thrilling alternative vanillas we're all missing out on, and serve up the recipe for a vanilla tasting party that's guaranteed to make you fall back in love with the world's favorite flavor. You'll never see vanilla as plain again!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

  continue reading

291 episodes

Artwork
iconShare
 
Manage episode 522295308 series 131718
Content provided by Cynthia Graber and Nicola Twilley, Cynthia Graber, and Nicola Twilley. All podcast content including episodes, graphics, and podcast descriptions are uploaded and provided directly by Cynthia Graber and Nicola Twilley, Cynthia Graber, and Nicola Twilley or their podcast platform partner. If you believe someone is using your copyrighted work without your permission, you can follow the process outlined here https://podcastplayer.com/legal.

Today, 'vanilla' often means boring, and yet the edible seedpod of this Central American orchid is one of the most expensive spices in the world, not to mention one of the most popular flavors globally. So how did this coveted bean get such a ho-hum reputation? Listen in this episode as Gastropod travels to vanilla's homeland in the highlands of Veracruz, Mexico, to investigate. It's a tale of botanical piracy, beaver butts, and ice-cream barges, in which an ingenious enslaved tween and the product of pulp paper waste combine to transform vanilla from a complex and sophisticated elite treat into the single-note synonym for dull. Plus, we meet the thrilling alternative vanillas we're all missing out on, and serve up the recipe for a vanilla tasting party that's guaranteed to make you fall back in love with the world's favorite flavor. You'll never see vanilla as plain again!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

  continue reading

291 episodes

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