Tonka bean oil Tonka bean oil Tonka bean oil is extracted from the seed of "Dipteryx odorata". The oil is composed primarily of coumarin, which is used to flavor tobacco. It is neither a pressed oil, nor an essential oil, but was traditionally obtained by soaking the large, single tonka bean seed in rum or other alcohol for 24 hours, after which crystals of coumarin appear on the outside of the seed, and are then collected. The seeds contain up to 46% oil by dry weight. In recent years, most commercially produced coumarin are synthetic, which has reduced the demand for tonka beans
Cuisine in the early modern world often goods or food items that were not natural to the region and were only available through specific trade routes. The upper class had access to these items and held "banquets [that were] as opulent as possible, with as many rich dishes as possible, larger quantities of food, and extravagant use of spices". The Spice Trade allowed spices as well as currency, like gold, to become less of a luxury as overtime they became incorporated as common goods through trade or were consistently available through merchants' supplies. Cuisine in the early modern world Cuisine in the early modern world varied