Not So Plain VanillaWhen people choose vanilla over other more “interesting” flavors, they often apologize for being so “boring”. There is no apology necessary! The truth is, vanilla is one of the most complex and interesting flavors - and this should be celebrated! There is a reason that vanilla has been the #1 selling flavor of frozen desserts since the beginning of recorded history and a reason that it is TruJoy Yogurt’s most popular flavor! What is vanilla anyway? Vanilla is a member of the orchid family, yes as in the tropical flower sitting in a planter on your countertop. The Vanilla Orchid is native to South Central America and is believed to have been originally cultivated by the Aztecs. Today, vanilla is grown in places as far flung and as exotic as Tahiti, Indonesia and TruJoy’s favorite - Madagascar. Though these strains of vanilla can all be traced back to the South America, they have evolved to have their own flavor profiles and terroir - from the distinctly floral Tahitian varietals to the deep and rich Madagascan. The Science - Vanilla has over 250 unique flavor compounds. For reference, foods have on average 50 flavor compounds and wine has just over 100. A flavor (or aroma) compound is a natural chemical compound that has its own unique olfactory and gustatory characteristics. Vanillin is the primary flavor compound found in vanilla, approximately 85% of the essential oil in vanilla is made up of vanillin with the balance coming from the other 250 flavor compounds. Artificial vanilla is almost exclusively composed of vanillin, hence lacking the depth and complexity of the real vanilla like we use in our Frozen Greek Yogurt. Artificial vanilla is truly plain! You don’t need to be an expert in the realm of frozen desserts to know that the best way to judge a brand is by the quality of their vanilla. For this reason, I took my sweet time deciding on which vanilla we would use. I tried several dozen different vanillas from a number of purveyors before ultimately picking the Madagascan Vanilla that you now know - I hope you approve! The Irony - Simplicity is a recurring theme and is something we take a lot of pride in at TruJoy Yogurt. But our Madagascar Vanilla Bean, our most seemingly “simple” flavor turns out to be the most complex!
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