Description
Botanical Name: (Dipteryx odorata) Description & Use: Use sparingly in dishes that would normally use vanilla beans or mahlab.
dense and glossy-foliaged trees that reach more than 65 feet
(20 m), with a diameter of up to 3 feet (1 m). The trees grow
in moist, well-drained soils that are relatively poor. However,
the density of growth and fecundity of flowering and pod
production is enhanced by good-quality soils, fertilizer and
compost.
Processing:
Fully ripe pods fall from the trees and are picked up from
among the leaf matter and taken in wicker baskets to be
processed. Each pod is cut or broken open with a hammer
to reveal a wrinkled-looking oblong brown seed (the tonka
bean) about 1 inch (2.5 cm) long; when cut to reveal its
cross-section, the bean reveals a creamy white center. These
beans, which are the whole seed, are placed in the sun to dry.
The naturally occurring enzymes activated by the
process of drying, turn the beans black on the outside. The
centres turn pale brown, and the pungent flavor is created.
To our knowledge, the flesh of the pod has no culinary use.
Description
Botanical Name: (Dipteryx odorata) Description & Use: Use sparingly in dishes that would normally use vanilla beans or mahlab.
dense and glossy-foliaged trees that reach more than 65 feet
(20 m), with a diameter of up to 3 feet (1 m). The trees grow
in moist, well-drained soils that are relatively poor. However,
the density of growth and fecundity of flowering and pod
production is enhanced by good-quality soils, fertilizer and
compost.
Processing:
Fully ripe pods fall from the trees and are picked up from
among the leaf matter and taken in wicker baskets to be
processed. Each pod is cut or broken open with a hammer
to reveal a wrinkled-looking oblong brown seed (the tonka
bean) about 1 inch (2.5 cm) long; when cut to reveal its
cross-section, the bean reveals a creamy white center. These
beans, which are the whole seed, are placed in the sun to dry.
The naturally occurring enzymes activated by the
process of drying, turn the beans black on the outside. The
centres turn pale brown, and the pungent flavor is created.
To our knowledge, the flesh of the pod has no culinary use.