Painting by Diego Rivera, Mexican Artist |
Extraction : Vanilla Facts : Growing Regions : History : FAQs
Vanilla is indigenous to tropical Mexico and Latin America. First cultivated by the Totonac Indians of the state of Veracruz in Mexico, they believed the vanilla vine and its delicate fruit to be a gift from the gods. This belief is based on the legend of two fallen lovers, who were forbidden to marry and were murdered for being together. It is believed their blood, on the site of the murder, marked the spot where the vanilla vine grew, producing a beautiful flower that would come to represent true love and happiness.
In 1427, the Aztecs conquered the Totonacs and discovered that the black beans used by the Totonacs for their scent and medicinal properties also offered a unique flavor. The Aztec's, credited for first using vanilla for its flavor, used it to make a special chocolate drink reserved for the Empire's leaders and most honored guests. It is believed that Aztec Emperor Montezuma served this drink to Spanish Conquistador Hernando Cortez upon his arrival at the Aztec Empire in 1519.
Cortez introduced vanilla into Europe when he returned with treasures after conquering the Aztec Empire. Soon after its introduction, vanilla became more widely used throughout Europe, including in the production of medicine and chocolate, as an aphrodisiac, and in the flavoring tobacco.
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Three hundred years after its discovery, Mexico remained the sole producer of vanilla. By the early 1800's Europeans began experimenting with growing vanilla in controlled environments. They eventually began planting cuttings of vanilla in tropical regions, including Madagascar and the surrounding islands. While the vines grew, the plants did not bear fruit.
Mexico remained the top producer until 1836, when Belgian botanist Charles Morren discovered that insects common to the Indian Ocean Islands could not pollinate the orchid. He discovered that a tiny bee, the melipone bee, found only in the vanilla-growing region of Mexico, was able to pollinate the flowers. Because the bee could not survive outside of Mexico, hand-pollination was introduced.
As a result of hand pollination and Europe's colonization of key tropical growing areas in the Indian Ocean, the Bourbon islands soon became a primary vanilla-growing region, out producing Mexico for world supply. It was on the Island of Reunion that a young slave named Edmond Albius perfected the method of hand-pollination which is still used to this day.
Today, vanilla beans grow within 20 degrees north and south of the Equator in the tropical regions of the world. Madagascar and Indonesia grow the majority of the world's vanilla beans. Other vanilla-growing regions of today include China, Fiji, Guatemala, India, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Tahiti, Tonga and Uganda. These growing regions are susceptible to cyclones, tropical storms and political unrest, which can cause vanilla prices to fluctuate. The United States is the leading consumer of vanilla. |
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