V is for verjuice, vanilla and vitamins

Vanilla:

Vanilla vine on Reunion Island (pic: Wikimedia Commons)
Vanilla is the pod of a climbing orchid originally found in Central America and is said to stimulate the nervous system. Today 80% of the world's supply comes from Madagascar, yet sadly much of what we use in cooking is an artificial variety.
Pure vanilla essence is far superior and a white crystalline film is not a sign of contamination but of purity. It is vanillin which gives vanilla its fragrance. Vanilla beans or pods may be bought where spices are sold and the tiny black seeds can be scraped out to add flavour to custards and many other dishes.
A vanilla pod stored in sugar will create 'vanilla sugar' that adds a subtle flavour to many dishes, or the pod can be boiled with milk to flavour it for use in custards and sauces. The pods are also said to deter cockroaches if pieces are scattered in the kitchen.

Verjuice:
Verjuice is a very acidic juice made by pressing unripe grapes, crab-apples or other sour fruit. Sometimes lemon or sorrel juice, herbs or spices are added to change the flavour. In the Middle Ages, it was widely used all over Western Europe as an ingredient insauces, as a condiment, or to deglaze preparations. It is still used to some extent in the American South.

Maggie Beer, an Australian cook, vintner, and food writer, began the modern resurgence of verjuice when she began commercial production in 1984, after a harvest of Rhine riesling grapes could not be sold. She persuaded a winemaker who was a friend to assist her in turning the juice into verjuice. After slow national sales, 15 years later came international sales, that were then followed in France and elsewhere by local product.

Vitamins & Minerals:

VITAMINS are only needed in small amounts and are sometimes referred to as micronutrients. There are thirteen known vitamins, and they are vitally important to regulate metabolism and chemical reactions in the body and assist in the use of other nutrients.

MINERALS also occur in minute amounts in food, yet without them we would not survive. They regulate water balance, nerve responses, chemical reactions, and muscle contraction. At least 17 trace minerals have been identified and each has a different specific and vital use in the body.
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