Vanilla

is a bean from the pod of a tropical climbing orchid. It can also be obtained as Vanilla extract or as Vanilla essence, these should be used sparingly as the flavour can be acrid if used in excess. Vanilla sugar is made by leaving one or two vanilla pods in a jar of sugar. This gives a hint of vanilla flavour to the sugar. It can be made by mixing in a bit of vanilla essence and then drying out the sugar, but the result is less satisfactory. Use in place of ordinary sugar to give a hint of flavour.