Madagascar beans can refer to lima beans or vanilla beans. Lima beans are grown in tropical regions and can be eaten raw or dried for soups and stews. Vanilla beans are used in sweets and pastries and are harvested from orchids in Madagascar.
Madagascar beans can potentially refer to two very different types of food items. When used simply as “Madagascar bean,” it typically refers to a type of lima bean that is often grown in tropical regions and enjoyed in preparing a number of different dishes. It can also be used to refer to Madagascar vanilla beans which are used to produce more than half of the vanilla consumed worldwide. Madagascar beans, in both contexts, are quite delicious and both are typically grown as vines along a trellis, tree, or other support structure.
The savory type of Madagascar bean is a type of lima bean that can be eaten raw when green or allowed to dry and enjoyed in soups and similar dishes. Also known as Phaseolus lunatus, Madagascar beans grow as a perennial vine and can typically grow along a support structure. This usually consists of a trellis that will provide support for the vine, but won’t block sunlight or water from reaching the plant.
While still green, these Madagascar beans can be harvested and enjoyed raw or lightly steamed. The pods shouldn’t be eaten, but the beans inside are green, tender, and slightly creamy when chewed. They can also be dried on the vine. When they do, they turn a dark red with white spots on them. These dried beans are typically perfect for storage, at room temperature or frozen, and can be used in soups, stews, and any other dish that calls for dried beans.
The other type of Madagascar bean that is often referred to is Madagascar vanilla beans which are sweet and used in everything from sweets and pastries to scented candles and body lotions. Though native to Mexico and similar regions, the most popular variety of vanilla, vanilla planifolia, is now mostly grown and harvested in Madagascar. It is actually a type of orchid and produces a fruit or bean that is harvested to make raw vanilla beans or vanilla extract.
These Madagascar beans generally come in their raw state as a long, thin pod that has been dried for ease of transportation and use. To use raw vanilla, the pod must be opened with a sharp knife. The small vanilla beans inside can be scraped out and used in cooking. They will typically appear as small black specks in the finished dish and are quite noticeable in vanilla ice cream that uses an actual vanilla bean. Liquid vanilla extract can also be made quite easily by soaking the pods in grain alcohol, such as vodka, for a period of time, then straining the liquid.
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