Ground tonka bean

A Lucky Charm Bean!
In Guyana, to make a wish, you need a Tonka bean in your left hand and a dead snake in the other. To make your wish come true, all that remains is to throw the bean into a watercourse and hang the snake in the highest branches of a Tonka bean tree: the Coumarou, the Brazilian teak tree. The name Tonka comes from Tupi, the language of the Tupis of French Guiana.
With Incredible Finesse... The Coumarou, a gigantic tree that feeds the earth's green lung, produces orange fruits resembling mangoes. When ripe, this fruit provides red, oblong seeds the size of almonds, which are dried for nearly a year, then immersed in strong alcohol for 24 hours. After this long process, they are dried again and become black and wrinkled.

Its aromas of sweet almond, vanilla, caramel, coffee for some, or "Amsterdamer" tobacco beloved by our grandfathers for others, are incredibly delicate. Its taste is warm and indulgent with a slight bitterness similar to cocoa.

Ecology and Use of Tonka Bean
At the current rate of deforestation in the Amazon, 55% of the forest will have disappeared by 2030.
Tonka bean is used grated, in compotes, creamy desserts, with chocolate, in pumpkin soups, or with sweet potatoes.
Tip: Pour some natural cane sugar into an airtight jar and add 3 whole Tonka beans.

Recipe for Creamy Chocolate and Tonka Bean Tart

1. Bake a shortcrust pastry for 10 minutes at 160°C. Remove from the oven.
2. In a saucepan, heat 30 cl of milk, 30 cl of liquid cream, butter, and half a grated Tonka bean.
3. Pour into a bowl over 150 g of chopped dark chocolate.
4. Add 2 beaten eggs gently to this mixture.
5. Pour everything onto the pastry.
6. Bake in the oven at 140°C for 8 minutes.

Use of Tonka Bean in Brazil
In Brazil, the Tonka bean, also called "cumaru," is used for its medicinal properties on the bronchi and lungs by local application or ingestion. The bean is also used for the production of candles or incense. It is very rarely used for culinary purposes.