The idol pop duo Vanilla Beans from Japan, in order to promote their recent album release of “VaniBest,” are creating some unique promotional events.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0E2GHyl6UgU

Let me preface this post by saying, “Vanilla is my favorite flavor and when I was a small child my mother tried to coax me into ordering something different although, I would always wind up ordering vanilla”. I am very glad I did as you will read in the following text. KM

Health Benefits of Vanilla Essential Oil

The health benefits of Vanilla Essential Oil can be attributed to its properties such as: anti oxidant, aphrodisiac, anti carcinogenic, febrifuge, anti depressant, sedative, tranquilizing and relaxing.
If you always thought that the name ‘Vanilla’ was a proprietary property of all those industries producing those mouth watering ice creams, chocolates, cakes, pastries, custards, biscuits, confectioneries and soft drinks, and there could not be a better use of it, then you were wrong. The Essential Oil of Vanilla is extracted by solvent extraction of a resinous substance obtained from fermented Vanilla beans. These beans grow in vanilla plants, a creeper that grows mainly in Mexico and neighboring countries and bears a scientific name ‘Vanilla Planifolia’. Its main components are Acetic Acid, Caproic Acid, Eugenol, Furfural, Isobutyric Acid and Vanillin Hydroxybenzaldehyde. Most of the flavors with a ‘Vanilla’ tag on them are not derived from original vanilla at all. They are synthesized from hydrocarbons.

Apart from its widespread use as a flavoring agent in the food, beverages and pharmaceutical industries and in culinary, the Essential Oil of Vanilla found its uses in the world of medicines too, and look how many health benefits it offers.

Anti Oxidant: This property alone can take care of most of your problems. I do not know whether you are aware of it or not, but oxidation is one of the biggest causes behind most of our troubles and diseases. It is directly and indirectly responsible for a number of diseases caused by organic malfunctions and infections. Oxidizers or free-radicals cause oxidation of the living cells and tissues and burn them to death. Gradually, this result in weakening of the immunity, loss of memory, organic and nervous malfunctioning, gradual loss of vision & hearing, mental instability, macular degeneration etc. and the body becomes prone to diseases. The anti oxidant property of Vanilla Essential Oil neutralizes these free radicals and protects the body from wears and tears, infections and even some forms of cancer, such as those of prostrate, colon etc. It also repairs the damages already done to the body.

Aphrodisiac: A systematic administration of Vanilla Essential Oil to the patients of impotency, erectile dysfunction, frigidity, loss of libido etc. can relieve them of their problems, and it is well proven. This oil stimulates secretion of certain hormones like testosterone, estrogen etc. which help bring about normal sexual behavior and promotes arousal.
Anti Carcinogenic: To some extent, the anti carcinogenic property of Vanilla Oil comes from its anti oxidant properties. The free radicals or oxidants do not only damage tissues, but can also cause certain type of cancers, such as those in prostrate, colon etc. Certain components Essential Oil of Vanilla checks growth of cancerous cells, thereby helping cure cancer.

Febrifuge: The vanilla oil can effectively reduce fever by fighting infections due to presence of components like Eugenol and Vanillin Hydroxybenzaldehyde in it. Being a sedative, it also reduces inflammation due to fever (Anti Phlogistic would be the right word for it) and this also contributes to reducing fever.

Anti Depressant: You were sitting alone, depressed. Then somebody brings you a vanilla ice cream or a vanilla flavored drink, you have that and lo! The depression is gone! You start feeling pleased, satisfied and get into mood. This is one of the biggest advantages of vanilla aroma (better if it is real vanilla, but synthetic Vanilla or artificially synthesized Vanillin Hydroxybenzaldehyde works good too) that it makes you happy. The flavor alone is so pleasingly sweet and soothing that everybody, ranging from toddlers to centurions, likes it. Vanillin Hydroxybenzaldehyde, a component of Vanilla Essential Oil, is an effective anti depressant and mood up-lifter.

Sedative: The Essential Oil of Vanilla soothes. It soothes all types of inflammations and hyperactivity in all the systems functioning in our body, namely, the respiratory system, circulatory system, digestive system, nervous system and the excretory system. It sedates inflammation due to fever, convulsions, anxiety, stress, hypersensitivity of allergy etc.
Tranquilizing: Vanilla Essential Oil helps you get a sound sleep too. This is due to the sedative and relaxing properties of this oil. It lowers blood pressure and has a sort of tranquilizing effect on the brain too, and you cannot keep you eyelids open anymore. All you see then is your bed and pillows.

Relaxing: This oil has a relaxing and calming effect on the brain and the nerves and gives relief from anxiety, anger, restlessness etc.
Other Benefits: It helps regularize menstruations (although not exactly an emenagogue) by activating certain hormones like estrogen, which

Blending: Essential Oil of Vanilla blends well with essential oils of Orange, Lemon, Neroli, Jojoba, Chamomile, Lavender and Sandal Wood.
This article was contributed by Aparup Mukherjee

Health Benefits of Vanilla: It May Have Anti-Cancer Benefits
Could the cure for cancer be in your spice cabinet? Vanillin, the active ingredient in vanilla, has shown some interesting anti-cancer properties. Not only does it prevent mutations, the changes in the cell’s DNA that lead to cancer, but it also stops growth of cancer cells in a laboratory setting. A study conducted on mice showed that vanillin stopped the metastasis or spread of breast cancer cells to the lungs and decreased their ability to invade new tissue. Bromovanin, a derivative of vanillin, also shows some promise for the treatment of cancer and could be used in the development of new cancer treatments.

Health Benefits of Vanilla: Can It Help Those with Alzheimer’s?
Vanillin, the active component of vanilla, has antioxidant activity and appears to offset some of the oxidative damage that occurs in the brains of patients with Alzheimer’s disease – particularly the formation of a compound called peroxynitrite. Peroxynitrite plays a role in other degenerative diseases of the brain such as Parkinson’s disease. Although research in this area is still in its infancy, it may hold future promise for people dealing with these debilitating diseases.

Health Benefits of Vanilla: Medicinal Uses in the Past
Vanilla has been used historically as far back as the seventeenth century to treat a variety of conditions including stomach ulcers and sleep difficulties. The essential oil reportedly has sedative-like properties. Some alternative practitioners use vanilla essential oil to treat insomnia, anxiety, and depression. It’s also thought to be an aphrodisiac although there’s little scientific evidence to support this.

Health Benefits Of Vanilla

Vanilla is one of the oldest and one of the most expensive spices as well as one of the most familiar, but you don’t hear a lot about it’s health benefits. That’s probably because it is more important for its flavoring and aromatic uses.

Among the purported health benefits of vanilla by ancient peoples was that it could act as an aphrodisiac. But it wasn’t just ancient peoples that thought this, in the 1700’s it was recommended by physicians to be drunk as an infusion or tincture for the purposes of male potency. An article written by the German physician in 1762 claimed that 342 impotent men were changed into astonishing lovers from drinking vanilla decoctions.

In modern times, aromatherapy tests were done on different aromas and the one that most men were aroused by was vanilla. There is some controversy over whether this arousal was gastronomic or sexual. Even so, vanillin does have anti-oxidant properties. Yet there are less expensive and more effective means of getting antioxidants (fish oil, omega-3).

While not a lot of testing has been done on vanilla regarding any specific health benefits, it is classed as a vanilloid along with capsaicin contained in chile peppers and eugenol contained in cloves – both of which have numerous medicinal properties and health benefits. Some nutritionists have conjectured that vanilla might be a mild help in preventing cancer.

On the negative side, persons with Gilbert’s Syndrome should avoid consuming vanilla, as many have experienced debilitating effects from its ingestion2.

How Vanilla Is Produced

Vanilla, native to Mexico, is a familiar spice. Its use dates back to Mesoamerican times when the Totonac people of Mexico used it in rituals. Today, it is cultivated in many places, with Madagascar and Indonesia being the top producers, responsible for over 90 percent of the vanilla used around the world today, as well as Tahiti, Thailand and other tropical areas.

Vanilla grows on a vine that climbs up a tree or pole – any support can be used. In nature it will grow as high as it is allowed, but on plantations the vine is folded down to where it can be reached so that all the beans can be harvested. This also has the effect of encouraging flowering and making the plant more productive.

The vanilla planifolia flower is an orchid that produces a fruit that is a result of the pollination of the flower. Pollination, however isn’t easy because while the plant has both male and female organs, they are separated to prevent self-pollination. Natural pollination can only be carried out by a certain species of bee that is native to Mexico. Therefore, in order to grow vanilla in other place, the plants must be pollinated by hand.

Interestingly enough, this artificial pollination is still done much the same way it was back in 1841 when the method was discovered. The membrane that separates the anther and the stigma (the male and female parts of the flower) is folded back using a bamboo shoot so self-pollination can occur.

Vanilla plants are propagated by cuttings, and it takes 18 months for a new cutting to produce it’s small yellowish green orchid blooms. Each flower only blooms for a few hours. So workers must inspect the plants dutifully throughout the day in order to pollinate as many flowers as they can. A few weeks after pollination, a long green bean will start to grow – the vanilla bean. The bean is left growing on the vine for 9 month in order for it to develop it’s unique flavor. When the bean is finally picked it has no fragrance or flavor until it is dried.

There are various methods of drying vanilla beans. Whichever method is used, the enzymatic process of the bean must be stopped first or it will ferment so the bean is either blanched in hot water or heated in an oven. The beans are then dried in the sun for months and then placed in wooden boxes where they “sweat” out 80% of their moisture. This is when their distinctive flavor and aroma really starts to come out. The beans are then sorted and the essential oils are extracted from the beans. Sugars are added to the oil in order to preserve its flavor.

Imitation Vanilla is actually made from an essential oil of cloves called eugenol. While you might not think so when you see it in your spice cabinet, producing vanilla takes a lot of care and a lot of time. In fact, the entire process from pollination to when it gets shipped to the baking isle in your store takes over a year!

The History Of Vanilla

Anyone who has done any type of baking is probably familiar with vanilla or, at least, vanilla extract, but are you aware that the history of vanilla goes back to ancient times? It was the Totonac Indians of Mexico who first cultivated this bean. They used it in rituals long before Columbus came to America. It was also used as a medicine and as a perfume. Interestingly enough, they didn’t use it for flavoring. It was adopted by the Aztecs after the Totonacs were conquered in the 15th century. The Aztecs mixed it with chocolate to make their tasty drink chocolat.

When the Spanish came to Mexico in the 16th century, the Aztecs introduced Cortez to the drink. He brought vanilla and cacao back to Europe where it was enjoyed by only the rich and famous for many years. It wasn’t until 1602, that vanilla was actually used as a flavoring all on it’s own.

Up until the middle of the 19th century, Mexico was the only producer of Vanilla. However, in 1819, French entrepreneurs tried their hand at cultivating the bean on their own islands. They failed until they came up with a method of hand pollinating the flowers. Only a bee found in certain regions of Mexico would polinate the Vanilla flower. With the French discovery vanilla began to flourish on tropical islands like Mauritius, Madagascar, Reunion Island and the Comoros Islands.

Like many spices in history, vanilla was once very expensive. As supply increased, prices came down, but in 1970 a typhoon struck many of the islands that produce vanilla and, since many plants were lost, the supply went down and prices went up. Prices remained high for 10 years, mainly because the sale of vanilla was controlled by a tight group. Once this group disbanded in the mid 1980’s prices dropped drastically. Then, again, in 2000 another typhoon drove prices up again, which have been steadily decreasing since.

Vanilla grows on a vine and is the fruit of a flower called the Vanilla plan folia. While native to Mexico, today there are 3 other regions that produce vanilla beans. Madagascar is the largest producer, and beans from this region are known as Madagascar Bourbon vanilla, which refers to the Burbon islands where they are grown. The second largest producer is Indonesia. The vanilla from this area is not as sweet as the Madagascar vanilla and not as desirable. The remaining 10 percent of vanilla comes from Mexico and Tahiti.

Today you can find vanilla in virtually everything from ice cream to candles to perfume and it is a staple for baking and puddings, as well as other uses in the kitchen.

Using Vanilla In The Kitchen

Anyone who has done even a minimal amount of baking knows that vanilla is used in many dessert dishes and sauces. In fact, vanilla is one of the worlds most popular, and at the same time, most expensive spices. This interesting spice is the dried fruit of the vanilla planifolia plant an orchid which grows on vines. Native to Mexico, and once a favorite spice of the Aztecs, vanilla is now mainly produced in Madagascar and Indonesia.

This bean pod shaped spice is about 7 inches long and dark brown when dried. Interestingly enough, the fruit itself does not have any taste or aromatic properties until it is dried in the sun and then dehydrated. For use in the kitchen, vanilla can be used in pod form, vanilla powder, or as a bottled liquid called vanilla extract. Anyone who has used vanilla in cooking knows that a little bit goes a long way. Popular in pastries and baked goods, it can also be a great compliment to seafood.

When choosing vanilla beans for use in the kitchen, pick ones that are plump and full of seeds. Make sure they are very dark – almost black and that the are flexible – not stiff or rigid. Beans can be store for 6 months in a tightly sealed container under refrigeration. The extract can be stored indefinitely and the taste actually improves with age. The powder should be kept sealed in a cool, dry place.

Vanilla beans are often used whole, and can be stirred into sauces, teas, and other liquids. Interestingly enough, you can reuse them in this way. You need only rinse them, dry thoroughly, then store, tightly sealed, in the refrigerator for re-use.

While most cooks are more familiar with vanilla extract, the vanilla bean can be wonderful for cooking and will actually give better flavor. It can be a bit expensive at about $2.00 per bean, it can also be worth it. To use a vanilla bean for cooking, cut it in half and scrape out the pulp inside. Add the pulp and bean to the liquid part of your recipe and let steep for about 20 minutes.

Vanilla can be used for anything in the kitchen – not just baking. It is a flavor enhancer so you can use it to enhance any interesting foods. How about adding it to fresh fruit? Maybe a little vanilla with your cereal would make for a great morning taste? Why not try vanilla on ice cream? When using vanilla extract, though, be sure to buy only the true vanilla and pass up the cheaper bottles labeled “imitation vanilla” as it will not give you the true vanilla taste. Although the real stuff may be costly, remember a little bit goes a long way. So a bottle should last a long while.

Certain medical & other information was provided by Dr. Kristie and by Dr. Ray Sahelin

Vanilla beans about to be picked and dried after blanching or oven-drying and then sun-dried for some months.

]]> http://www.restaurantdiningcritiques.com/vanilla-a-commonplace-kitchen-ingredient-becomes-an-exotic-elixir-mexico-indonesia-madagascar-and-tahiti/feed/ 0 http://www.restaurantdiningcritiques.com/draconian-wine-liquor-taxes-avoid-bali-altogether-indonesia/ http://www.restaurantdiningcritiques.com/draconian-wine-liquor-taxes-avoid-bali-altogether-indonesia/#comments Thu, 16 Jun 2011 19:18:24 +0000 Kit Marshal http://www.restaurantdiningcritiques.com/?p=10957

News from tourists who have recently visited Bali, Indonesia:

As of late, the costs of liquor and wine have greatly increased in Bali, to such an extent that it might deter diners who enjoy drinking wine with dinner or simply want to imbibe in any alcoholic beverages to change their travel plans and go somewhere else. With these Draconian laws in place, please do yourself and everyone else a favor, and avoid this island altogether. This is the only way these, either greedy or bigoted legislatures, will understand that they cannot get away with these practices. Previously there was a tax on alcoholic beverages of 20 -140%, depending on the beverage and its origin. Recently, the government removed that tax and imposed an excise tax of 150 – 600%. This has had a huge effect. The least expensive wine on certain wine lists, which you might pay $12 for in a location in the West can be listed at $70 on a restaurant menu, and most restaurants authenticate that most of the price of its wines are due to the new tax. No one knows yet, whether this boost in the tax is the result of religious opposition or just lining the coffers. In either case there is no justification for it.

Bali is a beautiful island, but to be fair, there are many other places to go on this planet! I for one, shall not visit the island until these unfair practices change, and I highly advise all others to protest as well.

In 1990 while residing in Singapore, I was obliged to renew my visa every two weeks, which required me to either take a boat to Batam Island in Indonesia or to take a taxi to the bridge that crosses over to Jahor Bharu in Malaysia. If you choose the latter, it is necessary to switch to a Malaysian taxi that takes you over the bridge into the dusty, chaotic city. I usually opted to take the 30-minute ferry trip to Batam, to me a more relaxing mode of travel, and spend a quiet weekend there while also accomplishing the renewal of the visa at the same time. 
Almost every weekend, I was pleased to escape the constraints and restrictions enforced at the time in the city-state of Singapore, and make a dash to one of these islands.

Above Map: Tanjung Pinang at the bottom right of the map. At the time it seemed as if it could be a thousand miles from Singapore, as it was so backward, even though it was relatively close.

On this particular weekend I decided to visit the village of Tanjung Pinang on Bintan, a large and mostly undeveloped island at the time in the Riau group, which are scattered in the South China Sea between Borneo and Sumatra. Chloroquine resistant mosquitoes plague the Riau and there is always a risk of contracting malaria, although for me, the excitement of visiting a new place temporarily obscures these fears.
The large catamaran “Supercat” with its high free-board had difficulty docking in the high wind and heavy rain produced by a sudden squall. Barely visible through the window a cluster of rusty, corrugated tin roofed buildings were huddled together on a platform held up by stilts and attached to a decaying, old pier.
A boy representing the main hotel, Riau Holidays Inn led me down a pier to a small boat on which we had a hairy ride to the dock of the hotel, which sits on stilts above the sea. The lobby was dark at mid-afternoon, as the storm was still raging, and the only light came from a few low-wattage globes. I had a premonition that this trip was going to be anything but fun.  The deluxe room was appallingly dirty; worn carpets on the floor, dirty drapes with some of the fastenings missing that hung limply over salt stained windows, in the bathroom a wretched toilet with the seat missing and when flushed produced a trickle of water with a vile smell of sewerage.  The water, needless to say, trickled out of the tap in the bath and the sink at the same speed and they were equally useless.
I walked down the dark hall towards the bar amidst the pungent smell of durian coming from most of the guestrooms and was particularly evident under a sign which stated NO DURIENS IN THE HOTEL PLEASE!  Having reached the bar I ordered a gin and tonic and settled back as I gave a look at the worn, badly stained and poorly photocopied menu.  After one more drink I placed my food order with the bar girl.
Only to be told, “Sorry kitchen closed.”
I looked at my watch. I couldn’t believe it. It was only five past eight.
“You may have a sandwich”, she said sympathetically.
“OK, I’ll have the chicken sandwich.”
“Sorry no chicken.”
“All right, which sandwiches do you have?”
“Sardine sandwich, mister.”
“OK, sardine sandwich.”
The night market is by far the best place to dine at night, located near a mosque and some Dutch Colonial houses built on the hill, which must have been quite grand at one time. At night kerosene lamps light the pier and when the tide is low, piles of garbage are visible through large gaps in the rotting and mostly unsecured boards.
The rain had reduced to a drizzle so I ventured out the back entrance of the hotel onto the pier where the thick, night air was hot and humid. Bunches of rambutan and piles of durian are stacked everywhere and the vendors are doing a brisk business; intermittent smells of sewerage and durians almost seem to mingle, although each is distinctly different. Motorbikes inch their way through the foot traffic and cause the loose boards to rise and fall making a rattling, popping sound. The locals blatantly stare as I make my way down the pier and onto the pot-holed, red, mud-filled streets.  A middle aged man riding a motor scooter stopped me as I sauntered along and amazed me with a short dissertation on American and Canadian geography.
“Ottawa is the capital of Canada isn’t it?”
“Mt. Whitney was the highest mountain in North America before Alaska became a state?” “Right?”
Slowly I manage to ease away from this “world atlas on a motor bike” and continue to see the rest of the village.
Not more than a few minutes later I heard a soft voice from behind say,
“Hope you won’t mind if I walk with you and practice my English, I speak little.”
I turned around and there appeared a thin boy wearing only blue shorts close on my heel. After a minute or so of difficult conversation as we walked, he pointed to a large Dutch house in serious disrepair.
“Will you come to see the house where I live?”
Curious to see the interior of one of these Dutch houses, I cautiously answered in the affirmative. We entered a long room with narrow couches on both walls and long tables in the center covered with embroidered cloths, which draped over the sides. Paintings of Indonesian landscapes hang on the walls.
The boy cordially asked again in the same soft voice, “Would you like some tea?”
“No, but thank you very much”, I replied.
He pulled out some albums from under one of the tables and began to thumb through them proudly showing me photos of his friends and family in Sumatra, his birthplace.
He surprised me by saying, “Would you accompany me tomorrow morning at 7am to my English class?”
“I would like to”, I said. “However, 7am is a little early in the morning for me.”
“Maybe we can meet later in the day?”  He replied.
“Maybe”, I said, leaving it open.
Tired of being constantly approached and badgered I return to the hotel and prepared to have a quiet drink, trying to postpone the return to my worn and unpleasant room.
A young Indonesian man, standing next to me at the bar, blurts out, “I am going next week on my honeymoon to New York and I speak little English, maybe I should buy Mandarin Chinese/English computer—I speak Mandarin and Indonesian.”
I answered quickly, “Why are you going to New York for your honeymoon?”
He didn’t understand so I tried again. “New York is not a good place for honeymoon”.
“Oh, my wife has family in New York,” he answered.
“Well, in that case you probably will not need the computer,” I went on.
“Why?” he asked.
“Because your wife’s family will guide you around the city”.
The conversation that continued tenuously was thankfully halted when he said, “Let’s go up to my room, drink some beer and you can meet my friend, he speaks good English.”
We climb the stairs and walk down the dark hall and enter his room, which is in as bad a condition as mine. He introduces me to his friend who is a fat, jolly little man who spoke just slightly better English than he does. Four drunk young men are half-sitting, half-lying on the two swayback beds.
“Don’t mind the condition of these men”,  the friend says as he rips off his shirt exposing a white, hairless chest and a potbelly, “We are all celebrating the marriage of our friend who departs for New York next week.  My nick-name is Puja and here is my card, my uncle owns this hotel”.
I thought to myself, if he is a relation to anyone who would own a hotel like this, I do not want to know him!
“Would you like to try some satay and noodles from the night market and some cold beer?”
Before I had the chance to answer, he told his friend, “Call the waiter.”
The food and beer arrived in due course and Puja attacked one of the plates of noodles with loud slurping sounds. He then reached for a skewer of satay and literally vacuumed off pieces of meat all while quaffing down beer.
“I must be leaving”, I said.
“Meet us tomorrow morning”, my jolly host said, as he brushed noodles and sauce from his mouth with the back of his arm, “We will call at your room at 10 am—then  some beer and a big lunch, you will like it, you will certainly like it!
I set my alarm for 7:30 a.m. knowing a boat departed at 8 a.m. and the next morning, quickly took my bag and very quietly went out of the room and down to the lobby. Soon I was on a boat to Batam, I sat looking through the window at its wake bouncing off the stilts of the hotel that was disappearing slowly into the distance.