> "Vanilla extract" is often artificial as well.

In many countries there are legal requirements for "Vanilla Extract" vis a vis the percentage that comes from vanilla beans, as opposed to "Vanilla Essence", which can and is typically artificial.

(I confess I bake a lot)

Chemically speaking, synthesized vanillin is indistinguishable from the vanillin extracted from plants.

But vanilla plants contain a lot of other flavor/odor chemicals (like anise alcohol/methylguaiacol, p-hydroxybenzaldehyde/trimethylpirazine, p-cresol/anisole, guaiacol, piperonal) in addition to the one primarily chemical (vanillin), which may also be desirable in certain applications, such as foods or perfumes.

I would have no problem buying 750 mL of 40% grain alcohol loaded up with sugar and artificial vanillin if I'm gearing up for a giant bake sale or something, but I'd still keep the 10 mL bottle of the real stuff for finishing sauces, frostings, icings, or beverages.

Important caveat, though: vanillin derived from engineered bacteria or yeasts may be eligible to be labeled as "natural flavor"!

No need to "confess"; baking is science for hungry people.

( https://www.topatoco.com/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code... )

In my experience in the US, it is usually labeled well whether it is artificial or natural. Natural usually costs at least 3x as much artificial.

Note that "natural" does not mean it's "real" vanilla extract. It just refers to how the chemical compounds that taste like vanilla were obtained (which may or may not have involved actual vanilla in the first place).

Commented more above: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12454658

Yes, but if you're using vanilla the way most people do, paying the 3x extra for "natural" is not strictly speaking a rational decision; it's the vendors of "natural" vanilla who are playing games in that case.

Which is what makes vanilla, I think, an interesting parallel to truffles.