Many visitors to Puerto Vallarta want to bring home a bottle of Mexico’s
famed vanilla extract for their kitchens at home.

But is it real or synthetic?

Because vanilla originated in Mexico, it’s natural to think that we’d have a good supply of real, pure vanilla extract. Well, “Surprise!” That big bottle of 'genuine pure' vanilla your friends brought back from Puerto Vallarta is probably synthetic.

Vanilla is the only edible fruit from an orchid, and Mexico had the monopoly on vanilla extract until the late 19th century. Most of Mexico’s vanilla was (and still is) grown in Vera Cruz State on the eastern side of the country, in the moist mountains that also grow a majority of Mexico’s coffee and tobacco. As travel and shipping expanded, Mexican vanilla plants made their way to France, Tahiti, and Madagascar, all which had ideal climates for vanilla production. So no matter where your vanilla comes from, it has its roots in Mexico.

But strong demand for the scent and flavor of vanilla combined with the labor-intensive efforts required to cultivate and process real vanilla created the need for a synthetic version, which was perfected first by the Germans in 1880. For a while, other Caribbean and Central American countries produced artificial vanilla as well, hoping to cash in on their close proximity to Mexico, and some growth and production of legitimate vanilla continues to this day in some of these areas.

The United States is the world's largest consumer of vanilla, followed by Europe - especially France. About 1400 tons of dried vanilla is produced worldwide each year. Our worldwide interest in natural vanilla has grown considerably in the past several years, however, and the current annual demand is for 2200 tons of vanilla. As you can see, there’s an 800 ton gap in production, thus the demand for synthetic vanilla.

Most of the vanilla you will encounter in Puerto Vallarta is synthetic, no matter what the label says. Bogus vanilla likely includes a high alcohol content (up to 25%), whereas genuine vanilla extract will have no more than 2% alcohol. Fake vanilla may also contain coumarin, an extract of the Tonka tree, which can be toxic to the liver. It has been outlawed in the United States, but may still find its way into synthetic vanilla here.

The one brand of vanilla here in Puerto Vallarta that enjoys a reputation of being pure and ‘real’ vanilla is Orlando. It’s not available everywhere, but look around a bit and you’ll find it. It is generally available at the Rizo Supermarket in Viejo Vallarta (‘Old Town’) at the corner of Constitution and Serdan. If you’re not going to get the real thing, than you might as well buy your vanilla back home, where at least you can be pretty sure that it doesn’t include any harmful chemicals.