Tonka beans whole - Brazil

SHORT DESCRIPTION

For our sweet tooths! The tonka bean is used by gourmets and in fine dining to flavor typical vanilla desserts as a trendy alternative to vanilla

USE

Use the tonka bean in your panna cotta, crème brûlée, pudding, soufflé, or vanilla ice cream. The tonka bean is also used sparingly in poppy seed or coconut-based desserts. It is also used in cookies and cakes, with only tiny amounts added to the batter. Finally, the tonka bean is also suitable for chocolate desserts and is also used as a substitute for bitter almonds. Italian tomato sauce with a hint of tonka bean also tastes divine.

The bean is very hard and is best grated with a nutmeg grater. For cream- or milk-based desserts, the beans are boiled for about ten minutes, and can be used up to ten times. They can also be soaked in rum.

GOOD TO KNOW

A few tonka beans are enough per litre of dessert, but they are indispensable in dessert cooking!

TASTE

The tonka bean tastes like vanilla and marzipan and has a noble, bitter, hay-like note. The smell is inviting and almost hypnotic. The tonka bean goes best with other sweet spices such as cinnamon, saffron or even vanilla.

PRODUCTION

The tonka tree (Dipteryx odorata) is a plant species from the subfamily of the Fabaceae. Tonka beans are the almond-shaped seeds of the ripe fruit. The coumarin, which determines the taste, is bound in the fresh tonka beans. To release it, the beans are soaked in rum for 24 hours and then dried, which causes a fermentation process. After this, the coumarin content can be up to 10%.