The History of Vanilla

This week we’re going to look at the history of vanilla. Vanilla has a remarkable story filled with history intrigue, passion and piracy. Vanilla flavors food, beverages and even our favorite chocolate bar. It’s a secret ingredient that makes a lot of medicine go down more easily and it is in most bottles of perfume. Last, but most certainly not least, vanilla helps to lift spirits, soothe jangled nerves, calms you down, makes you feel good and can even help you lose weight.

Vanilla is the flavoring derived from the orchid. Vanilla is native to Mexico; the name vanilla comes from the Spanish word vainilla meaning little pod.

It all started with the ancient Totonaco Indians of Mexico. They were the first keepers of the secret of the vanilla. According to mythology the tropical orchid was born when the Princess Xanat, forbidden by her father from marrying a mortal, fled to the forest with her lover. The lovers were captured and beheaded. Where their blood touched the ground, the vine of the tropical orchid grew. In the 15th century Aztecs conquered the Totonaco. Then the Aztecs were defeated by the Spanish Hernando Cortez. He took it to Spain and they combined it with cacao. For 80 years a special beverage was only enjoyed by the nobility and the very rich.

In 1602, Hugh Morgan apothecary to Queen Elizabeth I, suggested that vanilla could be used as a flavoring all by itself and then the exotic bean was finally fully uncovered.

Today the vanilla plants are grown in five main areas of the world. Each region produces vanilla beans with distinctive characteristics and attributes. The main growers are from Madagascar, India, Tahiti, and Indonesia. The Madagascar bourbon vanilla beans are considered to be the highest quality pure vanilla available. Indonesia produces 90% of the world vanilla bean crop. Mexico, where the vanilla orchid originated, now produces only a small percentage of the harvest.

Vanilla is a stunningly complex spice. When I found out that the vanilla I was using was synthetic and could be made from petrochemicals and lignin, a byproduct of wood pulp, or even produced from castoreum, a molasses like secretion from the anal glands of a beaver, the thought of this turned my stomach (admittedly it is a minor source). I started making my own vanilla. Synthetic vanilla is at least 20-fold cheaper than real vanilla which explains why the manufacturers are selling to the tune of 20,000 metric tons per year. If you’re nibbling on something vanilla flavored, or sniffing something vanilla scented, chances are you’re enjoying synthetic vanilla, not the natural vanilla. If you want real vanilla you have to have the bean, although the vanilla bean is the second most expensive spice after saffron.

I buy my vanilla beans from beanilla.com, although I just looked, and they’re out of stock with my Madagascar bourbon bean, but they do have a Tahitian vanilla bean from Indonesia. I’ll have to try these this time; I ordered 10 beans for $36. I will add these 10 beans to a quart of vodka, put it in a dark cupboard and after letting it sit for six months, you will have the best vanilla you have ever tasted. I do put it in smaller bottles and give it away as Christmas gifts. Everybody treasures this vanilla.

You can learn about very interesting things at the Sidney Garden Club. We meet at the Sidney Public Library, the first Saturday of each month, from 2 p.m. until 4 p.m., or visit us on our Facebook page (Sidney Garden Club).