Mayan vanilla
The originality of this vanilla lies in the fact that it was used by the Mayas before the fall of this civilization, and its use was forgotten for 500 years.
Mayan vanilla (the Vanilla Cribbiana variety, also known asGuatemalensis) is a completely different species from the planifolia vanilla native to Mexico, which accounts for over 99% of vanilla sales worldwide (including the Xtahitensis cross obtained with planifolia and vanilla odorata). Mayan vanilla is endemic to Guatemala, but has also been identified in Mexico and Brazil.
At the third International Vanilla Symposium in Papantla, Guatemalan researchers gave a lecture on the rediscovery of Cribbiana vanilla, and our friend Dario, a Guatemalan vanilla grower (and incidentally a former Rodeo cowboy star in Guatemala) was piqued by this very fragrant variety of vanilla and decided to try to reintroduce it to the market.
Several years later, after painstaking research to find the most productive plants in the wild, and after multiplying his vines every year, he found himself at the head of a plantation of 15,000 mother plants that are finally starting to bear fruit.
This is where we come in: always with the aim of promoting the work of exceptional artisans passionate about vanilla, we are honoured to count among our new suppliers the one and only producer of Mayan vanilla in the world.
The pods of this vanilla are shorter and fuller-bodied, and contain an unrivalled quantity of vanilla caviar (the tiny seeds that carry the flavour). Its nose is astonishing: very floral, with coumarin notes even more powerful than those of Tonka bean or Pompona wild vanilla; and its flavor is reminiscent of cedarwood, coffee and aniseed. Its vanilla note is powerful and comparable to tahitensis.
A pack of beans contains five or six fleshy pods. They are highly versatile and can be used in savory dishes, sauces and desserts.