Vanilla
Family Orchidaceae
Vanilla fragrans (Vanilla planifolia), vanilla (V. fragrans 1), is an orchid, climbing by means of adventitious roots. It is a vine with large, fleshy alternate leaves numerous parallel veins and very short petioles. The flowers are borne in short axillary racemes, each flower lasting one day, fragrant, pale yellowish green in colour (V. fragrans 2). The fruit is a capsule, commercially known as a bean, 10-25 cm long, aromatic on drying.
Distribution
Vanilla is indigenous to Central America, and was used by the Aztecs before the arrival of the Spaniards. Montezuma offered Cortez chocolate flavoured with vanilla in 1520 and soon after the Spaniard took the beans to Europe. The first illustrated account of the plant was published in Rome in 1651. But due to the absence of natural pollinators no fruits were produced. In 1841 a practical method of artificial pollination was discovered and from that time commercial cultivation started. In the meantime the plant was introduced as early as 1793 in Reunion, and from there to Mauritius in 1827, to Madagascar about 1840 and the Seychelles in 1866. Finally it reached the Comoro islands in 1893. On Java it had arrived in 1819, and in the West Indies in 1839.
Use
Vanilla beans, the fully-grown fruits, are used as an important flavouring material and spice. In order to assure a good harvest of fruits, hand-pollination must be carried out. This is done by women and children, who can make between 1-2 thousand pollinations a day each. It is a scrupulous job, as each flower blooms only a few hours in the morning and drops if not pollinated. The fruits (V. fragrans 3) are picked before they are fully ripe and cured for a period of 6 weeks. When properly cured, the fruits turn dark brown and develop their characteristic fragrance (V. fragrans 4), (V. fragrans 5). This fragrance is due to vanillin, which is produced by enzyme action during the curing process. Six kg of fruits make 1 kg of cured beans.
Vanilla is used to flavour ice cream, chocolate, beverages, cakes, custard and other confectionery, as well as soap and tobacco. In earlier days it was also used as a nerve stimulant.
A nursery (V. fragrans 6), (V. fragrans 7) produces 500-800 kg beans annually. Although vanillin can be produced synthetically, the real product is superior due to the presence of subsidiary substances. Therefore the demand for it continues.
Madagascar produces three quarters of the world’s vanilla. Other producing countries are the French Pacific Islands, Indonesia, Mexico, Reunion, the Comoro Islands and the Seychelles. The largest importer is the US. The greatest use is for flavouring ice cream.