Vanilla plant

Everyone knows the flavor vanillin as a flavor carrier in sweet foods, for example in ice cream or pudding. But did you know that vanilla is a genus of tropical and subtropical plants from the orchid family? Around 120 species are known worldwide today, but not all of them produce fruit capsules with the flowery-smelling vanilla pulp.

The origin

Vanilla is native to the Veracruz region on the Gulf of Mexico, where it was used by the ancient Aztecs to sweeten the originally very bitter cocoa drink xocoatl. In the 16th century, Spanish conquistadors brought vanilla plants to Europe, where later the French Sun King Louis XIV was particularly fond of them. He set himself the goal of cultivating the sensitive orchids on a large scale on the French-administered island of Bourbon (today's La Réunion) - but this was never achieved under his rule. In addition to the special climatic conditions, the main reason for the failure was the method of fertilization: only the Melipona bee, native to Central America, naturally fertilizes the coveted spice vanilla (Vanilla planifolia), giving Mexico a monopoly position in vanilla production until the 19th century. It was not until 1841 that Edmon Albius, a twelve-year-old slave on Bourbon, discovered a suitable method of artificial pollination.

Coveted aroma

Spiced vanilla is by far the most important type and is now mainly grown on plantations in Madagascar and Indonesia. It is also commercially available under the names real vanilla or bourbon vanilla and is used in almost every Central European household for cooking and baking. Also of commercial importance are Tahitian vanilla (Vanilla tahitensis) and Guadeloupe vanilla (Vanilla pompona). Although these species release less vanillin, they release other aromatic substances in larger quantities and are therefore well suited for perfume production.

Labor-intensive cultivation

The vanilla pods, which can be up to 30 centimetres long, are harvested shortly before they are ripe, when they are still yellow-green. In order to release the vanillin, they must then be subjected to the so-called black roasting process. The pods are first treated with hot water or steam and then fermented in airtight containers - this process can take up to four weeks. During the process, the pods shrink to the size of the well-known spice, the shiny black-brown vanilla pods. For transportation, the pods are bundled, wrapped in parchment paper and placed in tin containers. Vanilla is the world's most labor-intensive agricultural crop and therefore the second most expensive spice after saffron. To save costs, the food industry nowadays often uses synthetically produced vanillin.