Welcome to the summary page for FabulousFusionFood's Spice guide to Tonka Bean along with all the Tonka Bean containing recipes presented on this site, with 4 recipes in total.

This is a continuation of an entire series of pages that will, I hope, allow my visitors to better navigate this site. As well as displaying recipes by name, country and region of origin I am now planning a whole series of pages where recipes can be located by meal type and main ingredient. This page gives a listing of all the Cornish recipes added to this site.

These recipes, all contain as a major flavouring.

Tonka Bean, Dipteryx oderata (also known as Cumaru, Fèves de Tonka or Kumary, Rumara, Tonguin Bean, Tonco Bean and Tonkabohne) represents the seeds of a species of a flowering tree in the Fabaceae (pea) family. Tetrapleura tetraptera one of the longest-lived trees in the Amazon rain forest (specimens over 1000 years old have been found) and it's native to the Orinoco region of Guyana. The tree is a tall (over 50m in height), deciduous hardwood and its wood is highly prized. The trunk is unbutressed and grows up to 1m in diameter that is clear up to about 20m in height. The trees are much smaller when cultivated, making harvesting of the fruit easier. Its leaves are compound, alternately pinnate, overall to 20 cm long by 8 cm wide. The flowers are rust coloured and borne in terminal panicle inflorescences that develop into the fruit, a pulpy, egg-shaped drupe, about 6–9cm long and 3–4cm in diameter, with very strong sweet odour, containing a single, fragrant, almond-shaped seed (the tonka bean), that is dark grey to black, 2.5—3.5cm long and about 1cm in diameter. This contains an anticoagulant compound, coumarin that is liberated by soaking the seed/bean in alcohol (eg. rum) for 24 hours and drying; whereby a fermentation process takes place. Subsequently, the coumarin content of bean can become as high as 10%, with coumarin crystals visible under epidermis of seed (this is then used for making medicinal anticoagulants).

Coumarin has a pleasant smell and contributes to the characteristic odours of fresh-mown hay and sweet woodruff. However in high does can cause serious (although typically reversible) liver damage and, by bacterial action simple coumarin can be converted into condensed derivatives that are powerful anticoagulants (blood thinners). As a result sale of tonka beans is proscribed in some territories (eg the USA). Typically, though, about a 1g dose is needed to produce deleterious effects and, if used sensibly, small amounts of freshly-grated tonka beans (especially if cooked) will not approach these levels. Though it has never been a popular spice, the use of tonka beans to flavour foods is increasing, thanks to a range of 'foodie' shows. The spice itself is sweet and hay-like (due to the coumarin) but very strong with an almost hypnotic fragrance, a scent that is often described as a combination of bitter almonds, vanilla and cloves. Where it is used, it is typically substituted for bitter almonds, mahleb cherries, vanilla and cinnamon or cassia (which also contain coumarin). It is often used as a substitute for vanilla in crème brulees, custards and soufflés, where a single bean can be enough to flavour up to 1l of the dessert. It also lifts the flavour of tomato-based sauces and a small amount added to such sauces enhances the flavour amazingly.

The word tonka is taken directly from the Galibi tongue (the Carib language of the natives of French Guyana). The name also appears in the Tupi language of the same region as their word for the tonka bean tree.

Use tonka beans with a light hand and don't chew on a raw bean. But, adding a little to a recipe (use the recipes given here as a guide) will produce surprising results and lift the taste of your foods. However, you should know that ground tonka beans are often added to ground vanilla preparations (particularly those from South America) to make them cheaper and they are still used in French cuisine.