Postcard from Cook’s Tonga Operations
Greetings from the beautiful South Pacific Kingdom of Tonga, where we’ve been on the ground for the past two months talking with our growers, overseeing harvest, revitalizing our curing operations, and even meeting with the queen and king. We have been buying beans...
Flavorology: The Scientific Art of Developing Flavors
I grew up in the family vanilla factory. When I was young, I remember the excitement of a new flavor in the Cook’s lab. My grandfather, Raymond Lochhead, a Chemical Engineer from Cal Tech and unmatched vanilla expert, would come out of the lab with little Dixie cups...
Choosing Vanilla Flavoring
Home cooks and industrial bakers alike share the same dilemma: “Do I use extract, emulsion, powder, or syrup?” Here is a simplified breakdown of vanilla flavoring to help you choose which best suits your baking needs. In all food, there is a “carrier” that binds to...
Almond Extract For Those Allergic To Almonds
An almond allergy, like all food allergies, is caused by an immune response to proteins found in the food. Almond allergies can develop if you eat the nut and your immune system mistakes its proteins as harmful; the next time you eat almonds, your body quickly...
Vanilla Extract Varieties
There are two main varieties of vanilla orchids. The first, and most prominent, is known as Bourbon vanilla. The name is derived not from bourbon whiskey, but from the French Bourbon islands, one of which is Madagascar. This variety also can bear the name Madagascar...
April 2016 Vanilla Market Report
We are all hurting with the current vanilla shortage. We have seen prices shoot up to 2001 Crisis levels in local currencies, alleviated slightly by the strength of the US dollar. In the past year, vanilla has risen from $60-$80/kilo to $200-$250/kilo. Now we’re on...
Why Cook’s Means the Best Vanilla Extract
A King’s Coronation and the Treasure Hunt for Vanilla
Malo e lelei from Tonga. As Haniteli Fa’anunu says, it’s not a catchy greeting like Bula in Fijian or Aloha in Hawaiian, but it’s special: It means Thanks to God that you are well. So, I hope you all are well. We are well and happy here in the Kingdom. King George...
The Godfather of Vanilla
Haniteli Fa’anunu made Tongan vanilla the most spectacular crop in the world in seventies, eighties, and nineties. He worked for the government then, as the first Tongan university graduate in an agricultural degree. He is 69 years old now, and runs ‘Ene’io Botanical...
Market Report Part II
I improved my pidgin French–a very little bit–while we were in Madagascar, so will continue practicing here! Déjà vu This week I spent a great deal of time tracing correspondence between my grandfather and botanist/vanilla expert Jean Daquaire from 1981-1985. Daquaire...
