What is the difference between regular Vanilla and French Vanilla?

aroma ice cream image

I want to

I mean have you ever gone to buy ice cream or a scented candle and there are Vanilla options... I like the smell of French Vanilla better and the taste of regular vanilla... but what makes them so different??

Answer
According to one chef. . .

"What is "french vanilla"? What is different about it from regular vanilla?"

Chef Ottevanger answered:

"The difference is lots more egg yolks."

This makes sense when one considers that French Vanilla is actually
"not a type of vanilla. It is a term used to describe an egg-custard base for ice cream." as stated in the answer given by ztorgo.

Another explanation is given as. . .

Flavor:

Vanilla flavor in creams, cakes and other foodstuff may be achieved by adding some vanilla essence or by cooking vanilla beans in the liquid preparation. A stronger aroma may be attained if the beans are split in two; in this case, the innards of the beans, consisting of flavory tiny black grains, are mixed into the preparation.

Good quality vanilla has a strong aromatic flavor, but foodstuffs with small amounts of low quality vanilla or artificial vanilla-like flavorings are far more common.

By analogy, the term is used, often as "plain vanilla", in computing for default set up of a system, with no extras or modifications. Since "plain vanilla" ice creams are often almost tasteless, the term "French vanilla" is often used to designate preparations that actually have a strong vanilla aroma, and possibly contain vanilla grains.

So, it is a matter of marketing to some extent, but there is a valid difference in content when it is applied to food preperation.