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The Joseph Burnett Company : 1850-1900. Anniversary. About Vanilla

The Joseph Burnett Company, Boston, MA, 1900

Original publisher's beige and green paper-covered boards with dark green lettering printed on front cover. No lettering on spine. Small printed ephemera, a note, from the Joseph Burnett Company dated March 1, 1900 is laid in. 5 3/4" x 7 3/4." Forty-four pages, complete. Nine black-and-white illustrations, complete. List of Illustrations in front. Four additional pages in back which warn customers of unscrupulous door-to-door salespeople peddling fraudulent or low-quality vanilla extracts, advocate for grocers to carry only high-quality vanilla extract, and advertise Burnett's Vanilla Extract and Burnett's (edible) Standard Color Pastes. Pages are very clean and intact except for light age toning throughout and a few tiny spots on endpapers. Covers are very clean and intact except for light to moderate browning, slight bumping and chipping at head of spine, slight wear to extremities, and some offsetting on back cover. A Very Good copy. A charming promotional book about the vanilla plant and vanilla extract. Commemorates the 50th anniversary of the Joseph Burnett Company and promotes Burnett's Vanilla Extract. There are three parts: "The Plant: Its Habitat and History," "Its Culture," and "Its Curing." Text is relatively brief and concise. Among the information included herein are descriptions of the vanilla plant, or, the vanilla orchid; its countries or regions of origin; and the cultivation and curing processes of vanilla. The book concentrates on what the Joseph Burnett Company believes to be the best species of vanilla, "Vanilla planifolia," and specifically, its origins and cultivation methods in Mexico. The unnamed author describes the general appearance of the vanilla plant and the environment it is best-suited to. Vanilla is a vine that grows on trees. The author proceeds to describe how for cultivating purposes, the vines should be separated as to prevent crowding and the spread of disease (should it set in any one plant). The author then describes vanilla and its relation to the ancient chocolate drink made by the Aztecs and how chocolate was introduced to Europe through Cortez's conquests in Central America. The author also describes the harvesting of the bean, which looks yellow when uncured, and the lengthy travels harvesters must undertake to take the vanilla beans or vanilla pods to market. The author insists that the traditional Mexican way of drying or curing produces the highest-quality vanilla beans. Vanilla beans cannot be used until cured. The traditional way of curing in Mexico entails that individual beans be meticulously placed on a layer of cloth and routinely turned over and set out to sun-dry for over a month. The cloth, too, must be routinely placed over the beans and taken off for specific periods of time. The bean, once properly cured, takes on a dark brown or black color. Vanillin, which appears as "frost" on the outside of the beans, is briefly discussed. The author also cautions buyers about artificial vanillin which apparently at the time could be dangerously made with clove stems or coal tar and poison unsuspecting consumers. The author concludes with a brief history of the introduction of vanilla production in the United States. Prior to 1850, vanilla extract had to be imported from France. In 1850, Joseph Burnett (1820-1894), an American businessman and educator, helped innovate the production of vanilla extract in the U.S. for the first time in the country's history. He founded the Joseph Burnett Company. The book commemorates Burnett's contribution to American vanilla production from its inception to the time of this book's publication.. Book. Book Condition: Very Good. Binding: Hardcover

1st Edition

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