"Madagascar is today one of the world's largest producers of vanilla, most experts agree that the finest comes from Réunion.
... Imported in the early 19th century to the gardens of General Lafayette in French Guyana, it soon found its way to the Jardin des Plantes, the botanical gardens in Paris... Pierre Henri Philibert... from Réunion... brought the plant to his native island. However, he was disappointed to find that the aromatic pods failed to fertilise. But, a couple of decades later, a young slave named Edmond Albius accidentally discovered that by rubbing together the flowers of the orchid, which carries both male and female organs, the pods would appear. This manual pollination method is still used today, explains Maurice Rouloff, a local producer whose family is now in its the fourth generation in the business. The job that is traditionally performed by women called les marieuses , or "wedding-makers", begins in June and lasts for three to four months. Each morning the women introduce the flowers to each other - by hand. It normally takes three years for the first fertilisation to take place and each plant produces about 40 pods. "Vanilla is like wine - le terroir is vital," says Rouloff... The pods are blanched in water twice, then dried under the sun for a few days before being stored in tissue paper in boxes of... hardwood. They are then left for at least a year "for the fragrance to emerge", says Rouloff. "The longer you keep it, the more intense the perfume; 20 years is good." On Réunion, vanilla finds it way into... dishes as often as it does into puddings. ... preserving chicken livers in vanilla flavoured fat, cooking écrevisses (river crayfish) in a vanilla cream or finishing the sauce of a tournedos with vanilla-flavoured red wine...dishes... recommended by the local vanilla co-operative... a dish of breast of duck, cooked rare and served with fresh orange and a dressing infused with rum and vanilla... a whole new meaning to duck à l'orange... Réunion... Several of the vanilla producers... complained that labour costs made it difficult for them to compete with the prices from producers in the neighbouring island of Madagascar. They are also struggling to obtain an AOC ( appellation d'origine contrôlée ) classification for their brand of vanilla. ... local rhum arrangé , flavoured with vanilla and local herbs. *********** RECIPE Duck With vanilla and orange Serves two Ingredients 2 tbsps of dark rum 1 whole pod of vanilla Juice of 1 lime 1 magret de canard or duck breast Sea salt 1 dspn of brown sugar 2 large oranges, peeled and pith removed, then finely sliced Method Pour the rum over the vanilla pod and add the lime juice. Leave to infuse for one hour. Make deep slits into the fat side of the duck breast, and rub in the salt and sugar, then leave to stand as well. When you are ready to cook, heat a ridged grill pan and preheat the oven to 200°C. Cook the duck, fat side down, for 10 minutes until nicely browned, then transfer to the hot oven for another 10 minutes. Drain the fat from the grill pan and add the rum, vanilla and lime juice mixture, bringing to a swift boil. Pour immediately over the sliced oranges. Slice the duck breast thickly (it should be very pink) and serve straight away on top." URL : http://www.ft.com/cms/s/81403e4e-44ac-11dd-b151-0000779fd2ac.html ************** Regards, VB _______________________________________________ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) orchids@orchidguide.com http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com
