FAQ, Vanilla & Spices

FAQ, Vanilla & Spices

Quick answer:this page gathers the most frequent questions about Madagascar vanilla, spices, peppers and everyday use. Sorted by topic to get to the useful information quickly.

A centralized vanilla and spice FAQto cover all the main questions.

Choosing and buying

How do you recognize a good vanilla bean?Supple, plump, long (16 cm or more), evenly brown, slightly oily, fragrant. See our full guide.

Is Bourbon vanilla necessarily from Madagascar?Not always. Bourbon refers to the Indian Ocean (Madagascar, Réunion, Comoros). Check the precise origin.

Which vanilla format for which recipe?Bean for infusions, seeds for fine desserts, powder for quick use, extract for cakes, vanilla sugar for everyday use.

Storage

How should vanilla be stored?Airtight tube, away from light, at room temperature. No fridge. See our full guide.

What about ground spices?Airtight jar, away from light and heat. 8 to 12 months for most.

What about peppers?As whole berries, in a jar. 2 to 3 years. Grind as needed.

Cooking

How much pepper per dish? 2 to 4 turns of the mill per person as a finishing touch.

Mild or strong curry?Madagascar curry is mild to moderate. Add a pinch of pili pili if you want more heat.

Should spices be toasted first?Generally yes, in fat at the start of cooking. This releases the aromas.

Does vanilla work in savory dishes?Yes, salmon, langoustines, foie gras, roasted beetroot. Very little needed, a lot of effect.

Health

Do spices have health benefits?Yes, several are studied for digestive, anti inflammatory or antioxidant properties. See our benefits guide.

Are there any contraindications?For strong spices (cinnamon, clove) and essential oils: use in moderation during pregnancy, breastfeeding or with a chronic condition.

Turmeric plus pepper, is it really useful?Yes: the piperine in pepper multiplies the absorption of curcumin.

Production and origin

Why Madagascar?Climate, terroir, know how. The SAVA region produces more than 80 % of the world's vanilla.

Are your spices organic?Some of them are. See our product pages for details.

Do you work directly with the producers?Better than that: we are the producer. Our family grows its vanilla vines in the SAVA region, and the pepper, cinnamon and everything else grow in Vangaindrano. No one else touches the goods. See our know how guide.

Logistics

What are the delivery times?See our shipping page for the latest details.

Shipping costs?They vary by order, see the summary at checkout.

Are returns possible?Yes, see our terms and conditions.

To learn more

Could not find your answer? Explore our full wikior our glossary.

See also: Bourbon vanilla, Madagascar spicesand peppers & berries.

Products that pair well

Madagascar wild combava powder (20 g jar)
Wild Kaffir Lime Powder (20g) 5.0 (5) €9,00€5,90
Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla Extract (20ml)
Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla Extract (20ml) 5.0 (3) €8,90
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Our terroirs

Where each spice comes from

Our map holds two points. Vanilla grows in the SAVA, in the north-east. Peppers, spices and combava come from Vangaindrano, in the south-east.

Madagascar · our terroirs SAVA Vangaindrano
Bourbon vanilla pods laid on marble Bourbon vanilla
Madagascar black peppercorns spread out Peppers and berries
Stacked cinnamon sticks, rolled bark Cinnamon
Whole dried cloves Clove
Turmeric powder and pieces of rhizome Turmeric
Ginger rhizome and fresh slices Ginger
Glass jar of Désiré combava powder Combava
Dried pili-pili chillies and a dish of crushed chilli Pili-pili chilli

Prepared Bourbon pods, standard grade.

Madagascar black pepper, whole peppercorns.

Dried bark, rolled into sticks.

Whole cloves.

Turmeric powder and cut rhizome.

Ginger rhizome and slices.

Our combava powder, in a glass jar.

Dried pili-pili, whole and crushed.

01
SAVANorth-east coast
02
VangaindranoSouth-east coast
03
VangaindranoSouth-east coast
04
VangaindranoSouth-east coast
05
VangaindranoSouth-east coast
06
VangaindranoSouth-east coast
07
VangaindranoSouth-east coast
08
VangaindranoSouth-east coast

Vanilla

Sambava, Antalaha, Vohémar, Andapa. Our vines climb there, on the north-east coast, and flowering runs from September to November.

Peppers and berries

Black pepper, white pepper, pink berries. Voatsiperifery is not planted: it is gathered from the vine, in the forest.

Cinnamon

Our cinnamon trees grow in agroforestry. The bark is taken from young branches in the rainy season, when the sap rises.

Clove

The clove is a flower bud, picked before it opens. It then dries until it hardens and turns deep brown.

Turmeric

The rhizome comes out of the ground, is washed then sliced. We dry it at low temperature: that is what preserves the colour and the curcuminoids.

Ginger

Same soil as turmeric, same botanical family. We offer it as a powder and in a grinder, depending on how you cook.

Combava

A small green citrus with a bumpy skin. Everything is in the zest, which we dry before grinding it into powder.

Pili-pili chilli

Picked bright red, with no green patch. It dries in the sun on racks, then is sorted by hand, fruit by fruit.

Two terroirs, one family. No broker between the plot and your jar.

Vanille Désiré · Madagascar

Photographs from our own catalogue. The outline of the island is a simplified drawing with no cartographic value. With us, vanilla comes only from the SAVA; peppers, spices and combava come from Vangaindrano.

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