V A N I L L A
One of my absolute favorite ingredients are vanilla beans. Vanilla extract, off the shelf vanilla sugar or synthetic vanillin, no thanks, not in my kitchen. The only problem with my culinary predilection: Vanilla beans are quite expensive! While I started a little “barter” with beloved friends from the States (vanilla beans for Donna Hay magazines), I conveniently assumed that our (German) prices were acceptable compared to the ones in the States. But one should never feel too safe… During the last months I made a rather frustrating discovery: Vanilla bean prices are rising – again! Compared to the “early days”, when Germany still had the “Deutsche Mark” for currency (until the beginning of 2002), I remember buying 2 beans for round about 4 DM (which translated roughly to about $1.50, not sure what the exact exchange rate back then was…). Today you can easily spend 4 EUR (about $4.80) for ONE bean – what’s up with that?
So I started doing some research and compared prices. The dilemma: Neither am I willing to give up on my extensive use of vanilla beans nor keen on spending a fortune for them going forward. The increasing prices are said to be in line with the diminishing yield due to raw climate in the most important vanilla growing countries, like Madagascar, Réunion and Indonesia. As the process of drying and curing is very elaborate and time-consuming, it seems quite understandable, that scanty harvests results in increasing prices. Sounds much like a take it or leave it type situation. But back on topic : Keeping my eyes wiiiide open and browsing different shops (online and offline) for vanilla beans, I discovered several very reasonably priced sources of supplies. They all seem to have one thing in common, they import vanilla (almost) directly from the producing regions, meaning less money for in-between vendors AND decent prices for the consumer. As a nice bonus, some of them explicitly pay attention to ecological cultivation methods.
Best vanilla bean hot spots I have found to-date in Munich:
Teahouse, actually my favorite tea supplier. Still remember the moment, when I incidentally discovered the vanilla beans on their shelves, asked for their price and couldn’t believe what I was told “two for 2,50 EUR” (about $3)…And the best part: The quality of the beans is much better as the ones I got at the supermarket – thick, oily and rich of intense flavor… They take online orders, too!
Best online shop I have found to-date: Gewürzhandel Bernhard Ulrich. Very good quality, great attitude and resource for additional information on vanilla.
Both suppliers claim to ship internationally – if you’re interested you might just want to give them a call.
I C E C R E A M
Scent. Aroma. Taste. For Schuhbecks (famous German chef de cuisine) ice cream parlor Eissalon am Platzl (Munich city center) all three promises are more than mere words. Setting foot in his elegant domain and indulging in the timeless ice cream concoctions will open a whole new spectrum of inspirations.
Of course we had to try several of the rather unorthodox creations, such as black cumin or thyme ice cream. Among others, the vast array of flavors included…
Cucumber Yoghurt with Dill
Brown Bread
Cookies
Lychee and Green Tea
Lavender-Sorbet
Grapes
Dolphin (not the fish)
Orange-Curd
Passion Fruit
Pine Nuts
Aloe Vera
Lemon-Sorbet
Granola
Lime
Argan-Oil
Peach Ice Tea
Elder
Tiramisu
There were many more, but these I could remember off top of my head and with the help of a picture taken inside showing some of them.
Of course we couldn’t try each and every one – although we really would have liked to. While I was waiting on my cup, O. noticed that they only produce a few ice cream cones in advance, so they are always as fresh as they can be. I usually prefer my ice cream in a cup, it’s just easier and less messy to handle – I’m a slow ice cream eater. Presumably as a teaser, she gave us a cone to try – in anticipation that once we had tried it we’d regret our decision made earlier…she was so right. Their taste is similar to the taste of fresh waffles (which was my first thought), just so much better and crispier.
The service is super nice, whenever I gave O. the elbow to get his attention for a new possible flavor to try, it took the girl behind the counter only a blink of an eye and she handed over a little sampling spoon to me. Oh boy, I could have spend all day there. But we kinda felt bad, since other customers came in and a line was quickly building up. When we finally left, the icing on the experience if you will, the chef himself Alfons Schuhbeck entered his parlor – for ice cream? Funny side note – while waiting for our fresh waffle cone, we examined the art work on the back wall. It looked like a classy, old painting, until we finally realized – the face of the depicted Adonis looks astoundingly similar to the owner’s face.. ;)
So we’ll be back for more, that’s for sure. Prices are very reasonable (one scoop for 1EUR/$1.20), it’s conveniently located in the city center and I can’t really think of any reason not to stop by there again tomorrow after work. N.
Jul 21st,
2005
Hi there!
Oliver, thanks so much for all the kind words you left on my blog. I popped over here this morning and just came back to make sure the link I added to my links list works-yep! Well, what a lovely surprise to find this latest post. Yum! That ice cream store sounds right up my alley--free little tastes, freshly made cones, all those scrumptious flavors, great prices. I'm so envious. And so craving ice cream right now. Great blog. Can't wait to read more about your adventures in Munich.