Extraction : Vanilla Facts : Growing Regions : History : FAQs

Intriguing and alluring, there is nothing plain about vanilla, the world's most popular flavor.  
 
Vanilla is a tropical vine that belongs to the orchid family, one of the oldest and largest groups of flowering plants in the world, containing more than twenty-five thousand species.  Of all the orchids, vanilla is the only one that produces an edible, agriculturally valuable crop. It is also one of the most labor-intensive agricultural products in the world with flowers that must be hand pollinated and beans hand picked.  
 
The vanilla trade is as captivating as the vanilla orchid itself.  From Mexico to Madagascar, the story of vanilla is riddled with tales of ancient gods, fallen lovers, early conquests and exploration.  Its story originates in Mexico with the Totonacs, believed to be the first to cultivate vanilla, and the Aztecs who are credited for first using it as a flavor.  From Mexico the fascinating story of vanilla travels to Europe and beyond following Spanish explorer Hernando Cortez's conquest of the Aztec Empire in 1519.