Israel Reveals It's First Commercially Produced Vanilla

Many mass produced foods, from ice cream to milk shakes to soy milk, are usually flavored with artificial vanilla -- but the real organic stuff is still very expensive and sought-after Menahem KAHANA AFP

In his busy Tel Aviv restaurant, chef Yair Yosefi adds a magic ingredient to his signature cake: Israel's first commercially produced vanilla providing what devotees claim is perhaps the strongest ever flavor.

It is made by Vanilla Vida, a new food-industry player that says its computer-guided curing process, along with other high-tech cultivation methods, can scientifically craft each batch of vanilla to a specific taste.