today we learned: vanilla is a new world plant, so until the late 15th century at the absolute earliest no european, african, or asian cuisine ever used vanilla
that's a little hard to believe with how ubiquitous it is today! just about every recipe for anything even slightly sweet has a tiny bit of vanilla in it these days
-F
@Felthry From what I understand, the reason vanilla is so ubiquitous is that it was the first flavour to ever be artificially recreated or simulated. Though, I don't think artificial vanilla flavour is as good as the real thing...
It's interesting that Vanilla is synonnymous with plain and ordinary, when it's made from tropical flowers.
@relee (artificial grape flavor is just methyl anthranilate, a compound that makes up a very minor part of the flavor profile of a few specific varieties of red grape, but also a minor part of the flavor profile of things like citrus fruits and apples. it's just called grape flavor because the person who discovered it thought it smelled vaguely like red wine or something like that)
-F