# What Makes French Vanilla French? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 28, 2003, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-french-vanilla-french/209934 "2003-10-28T00:19:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![NcCorduan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/df788c/32.png) [@NcCorduan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NcCorduan)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2003, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-french-vanilla-french/209934/1 "2003-10-28T00:19:22Z")
…or, more to the point – what makes French vanilla different from regular old vanilla? I know that French vanilla ice cream is yellow, while regular vanilla ice cream is more of a creamy white – and the same for pudding it. Is that it? Is yellowness what the French have added to vanilla to establish their claim on an entire variety of this yummy, oft-mistreated flavor??? ---
**Author:** ![Bytegeist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9dc877/32.png) [@Bytegeist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bytegeist)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2003, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-french-vanilla-french/209934/2 "2003-10-28T00:29:16Z")
French vanilla = vanilla + egg. At least it is in _food_, such as cake or ice cream. I offer no theories as to what goes into scented candles, hand lotion, and the like. ---
**Author:** ![Undine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e99b99/32.png) [@Undine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Undine)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2003, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-french-vanilla-french/209934/3 "2003-10-28T00:30:29Z")
French vanilla ice cream has an egg custard base, whereas regular vanilla does not contain eggs. I think it’s the yolk that gives the yellow color. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2003, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-french-vanilla-french/209934/4 "2003-10-28T00:31:25Z")
Because it sells. When in doubt, tack “French” in front of it and people think it’s something special. Or at least Madison Ave. does. I’d be more impressed if it was “Madagascar” or “Mexican” vanilla, personally, since I don’t think the French vanilla crop exceeds, say, zero in any given year (greenhouses excepted). It could be argued that the French have some special process that makes the ice cream “French” vanilla, but since the recipe is pretty much: make ice cream, add vanilla at some point in varying quantities, I’m doubtful. ---
**Author:** ![Roches](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bc8723/32.png) [@Roches](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roches)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2003, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-french-vanilla-french/209934/5 "2003-10-28T00:32:44Z")
For a scented product, I think “French vanilla” just sounds better than “vanilla”, for the same reason that “wild blueberry” is better than “blueberry”. Of course, vanilla-scented candles don’t contain vanilla beans or their extract (nor does most vanilla ice cream) – I’m not even sure if the flavor and scent are mimiced with the same chemical (vanillin). ---
**Author:** ![Bytegeist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9dc877/32.png) [@Bytegeist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bytegeist)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2003, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-french-vanilla-french/209934/6 "2003-10-28T16:25:10Z")
> [@](#): > > **Roches:** Of course, vanilla-scented candles don’t contain vanilla beans or their extract … Well that does it then. I’m giving them up for good, after I finish eating this ten-pack. ---
**Author:** ![CnoteChris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/278dde/32.png) [@CnoteChris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CnoteChris)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2003, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-french-vanilla-french/209934/7 "2003-10-28T16:41:57Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Bytegeist \* > \*\*Well that does it then. I’m giving them up for good, after I finish eating this ten-pack. \*\* I don’t know why, but that cracked me right up. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Sofa\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/58956e/32.png) [@Sofa\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sofa_King)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2003, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-french-vanilla-french/209934/8 "2003-10-28T18:15:40Z")
Am I the only one eagerly anticipating some jingoistic American ice cream store owner to lose his ass for advertising “free vanilla ice cream”? ---
**Author:** ![butter\_pie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/aca169/32.png) [@butter\_pie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/butter_pie)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2003, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-french-vanilla-french/209934/9 "2003-10-28T19:37:26Z")
It’s _freedom_ vanilla ice cream. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![KidCharlemagne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed8c4c/32.png) [@KidCharlemagne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KidCharlemagne)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2003, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-french-vanilla-french/209934/10 "2003-10-28T19:49:02Z")
French Vanilla is much more likely to run when the heat is on. \ ---
**Author:** ![NcCorduan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/df788c/32.png) [@NcCorduan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NcCorduan)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2003, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-french-vanilla-french/209934/11 "2003-10-30T18:01:06Z")
Vanilla + Egg makes sense. Thanks… The marketting angle had been my best guess, so it’s good to know there’s at least something to it in the food. ---
**Author:** ![Ponster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponster/32/17081_2.png) [@Ponster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponster)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2003, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-french-vanilla-french/209934/12 "2003-10-30T18:17:04Z")
It’s probably a marketing thing because here in France there isn’t such a thing as ‘French Vanilla’ nor is ‘normal’ vanalla ice cream yellow. ---
**Author:** ![NcCorduan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/df788c/32.png) [@NcCorduan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NcCorduan)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2003, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-french-vanilla-french/209934/13 "2003-10-30T18:25:05Z")
We also do have this thing here in the states that equates eggs and French cooking… ---
**Author:** ![Zazie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Zazie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zazie)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2003, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-french-vanilla-french/209934/14 "2003-10-30T20:50:03Z")
I always thought it was because the Vanilla in question was grown on a French Island somewhere warm, as the climate in France wouldn’t make it! geez…I am French and don’t know the egg thingy… 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Zazie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Zazie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zazie)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2003, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-french-vanilla-french/209934/15 "2003-10-30T20:58:27Z")
I always thought it was because the Vanilla in question was grown on a French Island somewhere warm, as the climate in France wouldn’t make it! geez…I am French and don’t know the egg thingy… 😉 ---
**Author:** ![FatBaldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecd19e/32.png) [@FatBaldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FatBaldGuy)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2003, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-french-vanilla-french/209934/16 "2003-10-30T21:29:35Z")
My mother was in the store a few weeks ago and saw a package of _American Vanilla_ ice cream. She bought it, thinking it was just plain old vanilla ice cream in a patriotic package, but when she opened it up, the ice cream was colored red, white and blue. Still vanilla flavored, but quite a surprise. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2003, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-french-vanilla-french/209934/17 "2003-10-30T22:31:41Z")
French. Yellow. Hmmmm. Makes sense to me!🙂 ---
**Author:** ![anson2995](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c77e96/32.png) [@anson2995](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anson2995)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2003, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-french-vanilla-french/209934/18 "2003-10-31T02:19:26Z")
NcCorduan hit the nail on the head. The addition of eggs is something that, for whatever reason, we label “French” – consider French Toast or Chicken French, which is a piece of bread/chicken coated with egg and cooked. ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2003, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-french-vanilla-french/209934/19 "2003-10-31T03:41:14Z")
Here’s part 2 of the OP: Blue Bunny offers all of the following. What is the difference between them. Vanilla Homemade Vanilla French Vanilla Natural Vanilla Bean New York Vanilla ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2003, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-french-vanilla-french/209934/20 "2003-10-31T05:09:11Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Fat Bald Guy \* > \*\*My mother was in the store a few weeks ago and saw a package of _American Vanilla_ ice cream. She bought it, thinking it was just plain old vanilla ice cream in a patriotic package, but when she opened it up, the ice cream was colored red, white and blue. Still vanilla flavored, but quite a surprise. \*\* Of course, patriotic French Vanilla ice cream would be blue, white and red. 😉