John Myers
Are black dots in vanilla ice cream a sign that it contains real vanilla and not just flavorings?
Black dots in vanilla ice cream are not automatically a sign that the ice cream contains high-quality vanilla pulp. It can also be the finely ground shell of the vanilla bean. This is almost tasteless in itself. However, this gives the ice cream a higher quality look, while the actual taste comes from added flavorings. The list of ingredients shows whether the product contains such aromas. If “ground vanilla beans”, “natural vanilla flavoring” or “vanilla extract” are specified, real vanilla must actually be contained. If “vanilla aroma” or “aroma” is specified, these may have been produced chemically and synthetically.
