Spices and Condiments (1+1)

Varieties

 
• Except in the countries of origin the introduction of material which is propagated vegetatively is likely to be of very limited clonal origin and so little variation can be expected. Thus, there are no named varieties of vanilla as such. However, four major types of vanilla beans are distinguished in the world market, based on the countries of origin. They are: (1) Bourbon vanilla (produced in Madagascar, Comoro and Reunion); (2) Java vanilla (produced in the islands of Java in Indonesia); (3) Bourbon-like vanilla (mainly produced on the islands of Bali in Indonesia) and (4) Mexican vanilla. Among the four types, the first type ranks first in terms of quality.