Does vanilla really bring out the flavour of other foods?

Question

I can't count the times I have heard that vanilla brings out the flavour of other foods. For example it "makes chocolate taste more chocolatey," etc...  I have also heard that it's the only spice that does this (enhance the flavour of other spices/foods).

Is this true? If so, by what mechanism does it do this?

Here are some places online that mention this alleged property of vanilla without explaining how it works:

"Vanilla is used for its sweetness and its ability to enhance other flavors." (eHow)
"Vanilla delivers characteristic and complex flavor notes to hundreds of types of food. With fruit- and dairy-based products, it enhances flavor by cutting acid notes, bringing out creamy notes and rounding out flavor systems." (preparedfoods.com)
"Add vanilla to give new 'life' to flavorless seasonal fruits or other foods that need a flavor boost.  Did you know that chocolate by itself tastes 'flat' which is why it usually contains vanilla?" (vanilla.com)

...Chocolate simply wouldn’t taste like chocolate without vanilla. “Chocolate tends to be somewhat dull on its own. Vanilla transforms it,” says Patricia Rain, author of a new book, Vanilla: A Cultural History of the World’s Favorite Flavor & Fragrance. “Vanilla 
  really enhances the flavor notes of chocolate,” agrees John Scharffenberger, CEO of Scharffen Berger Chocolate Maker in Berkeley, CA, where they prize vanilla so highly that they grind whole vanilla beans with cocoa nibs to make their chocolates.

(vegetariantimes.com)
"Vanilla is one of those ingredients, like salt and fat, that complements and brings out the flavor of other ingredients." (Wiki Answers)

scientifics · Answer

I'm not sure if there is a scientific explanation for this. I also think it's more that vanilla enhances the overall flavor profile of the dish rather than actually bringing out other flavors. Salt, on the other hand, does enhance flavors.

Answered by scientifics on January 2, 2021

Lars Nielsen · Answer

Well it is like sugar it has not been proven but is easy to taste the difference that it does enhance the taste of other ingredients

EDabM · Answer

Vanilla is a flavor enhancer or modifier like all spices.

I can understand why it would be singled out as "the only one that does that" because it is so commonly used in many parts of the world. Salt held this lofty position in the past at the head of the table. Black pepper was also assigned many incredible properties when it was first brought to Europe. Vanilla gives a richer, fuller, more savory flavor to a dish, but there are other spices that can do that in a different way.

I like vanilla and use it in dishes most would not think, like Chili.  But I have found nothing brings out the flavor of a decadent chocolate cake like the addition of a dark yeasty beer. I would not use vanilla in a citrus salad. And to chocolate I would say that it's the sugar and fat that makes it more "chocolatey".

Lilly Rose · Answer

Vanilla does not "bring out the flavor of foods", it does pair well with most fruit, other sweets, creams, and some bitter things like coffee and chocolate. Vanilla, like any other flavoring, simply adds another layer of flavor, building depth and complexity. Beware of that imitation stuff - it can easily be overdone.

Answered by Lilly Rose on January 2, 2021

Does vanilla really bring out the flavour of other foods?

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