Vanilla ice cream is the world’s most popular ice cream flavor.Vanilla plants are non-poisonous and can be consumed by people. Vanilla is extracted from vanilla beans after they are washed, soaked in water and alcohol.The vanilla plants and vanilla vines have been in use since 1520. From the written records of the Spanish invaders to the New World, it is known that at that time, vanilla, along with other flavors, was added to their chocolate drink. The cigars used by the Aztec people also used vanilla to add a sweet flavor. The vanilla orchid was brought to Europe by Spanish traders.Fun Facts About Vanilla PlantsVanilla is recognized by people around the world for the flavor it adds to different food items.It belongs to the genus Vanilla and is known as the species of Mexico, which is named Vanilla planifolia, or flat-leaved vanilla. In consecutive years after 1700, Thomas Jefferson is known to have brought the vanilla species to America. He also learned about the procedure of vanilla beans and bought them while returning from France to America. In 1520, Spanish invaders were known to have introduced chocolate along with vanilla flavor to Europe.It is believed that the people who resided on the east coast of Mexico, the Totonac people, did the farming of vanilla. They were defeated by the Aztecs, and they became the new controllers of the exotic species. The fruit of vanilla was named ‘black flower’ because once the fruit matures, it turns black. Vanilla means ’little pod’ in Spanish.Types Of Vanilla PlantsThere are three major types of vanilla plants that are grown throughout the world.The majority of vanilla plants are found in Mesoamerica, which includes parts of Mexico in modern times. The first type of vanilla plant is Vanilla pompona, which is majorly grown in South and Central America along with some Caribbean islands. The second type of vanilla plant is Vanilla tahitensis (Tahitian vanilla), which is found in the South Pacific Ocean, while the third type of vanilla plant, Vanilla planifolia, is found in tropical regions found near the Indian Ocean and Madagascar. Apart from these three types of vanilla plants, there are different varieties of the vanilla plant, almost nearly 150.Characteristics Of Vanilla PlantsVanilla plants’ different parts are used for different purposes, and it is the only edible fruit that is known in the family of orchids.Vanilla plants are categorized as climbers and have a long fleshy stem out of which grow the airy roots that hang down towards the earth’s surface. The vanilla plants have a strong vanilla aroma for which they are recognized worldwide. Similar to flowering plants, vanilla flowers also grow during the spring season. A vanilla flower that once blooms, lasts for just a single day. Vanilla vine is known to grow up to a height of 30-50 ft (9-15 m).This process of flowering goes on for a time period of around two months. Some are flat-leaved vanilla plants. Vanilla plant seed pods are naturally pollinated by bees. The vanilla orchid plants have very soft structures, so if pollinators are few, then with the help of a thin needle, the vanilla seed pods are artificially pollinated. The color of a vanilla bean varies from yellow, cream-white, and dull green. When dried out, vanilla pods are a dark brown color.The vanilla vines are now mostly artificially pollinated because there are fewer Melipona bees found in their native place. The vanilla fruits are long in their shape, like capsules, with a length of 8 in (20 cm). The time taken to grow is four to six weeks, and a nine-month time period can be taken to get fully mature while the pods that are not ripe are handpicked when they become vibrant in green color from their base.Examples Of Vanilla PlantsVanilla plants are the plant species that belong to the Orchid family and vanilla spice originates from them as well.Flat-leaved vanilla pods are used to make vanilla spices (V. planifolia). Vanilla orchids are a blooming plant genus that belongs to the orchid family, Orchidaceae with over 150 varieties. The flat-leaved vanilla (V. planifolia), which is indigenous to Mexico is used to make the vanilla flavor. Most of the dishes are made of using vanilla grains to add flavors in desserts such as vanilla cake.History Of Vanilla PlantsThe history of the origin of the vanilla orchid comes from South and Central America.Guatemala and the southeast parts of Mexico are known as the places of origin of vanilla plants. The vanilla vines and vanilla grain pollination is done with the help of either hummingbirds or bees that do not sting. Vanilla beans and vanilla plants have been mentioned by Bernal Diaz, along with Cortes and Bernadino de Sahagun.In Europe, the Aztecs were the only ones who used vanilla, and later the British people also started to use vanilla in their chocolate drinks. With the passage of time, vanilla was used for multiple purposes, such as vines, perfumes, medicine, and food. Most of us enjoy desserts made with vanilla flavor.A doctor from Germany in 1762 claimed that almost all of his 342 male patients were treated with vanilla in their medicines and were cured of impotence, despite no evidence for this. For a long period of time, the vanilla trade was under the control of Spanish invaders in Mexico who were not aware of the pollinating process of the vanilla orchid in its completeness. Their idea of trading it to other parts of the world failed as a result of their incomplete knowledge.Later, in 1836, they discovered that the pods had not been pollinated, and thus, unable to produce a new one. It was a boy from France, Edmon Albius, who artificially pollinated the vanilla flower in 1841. He opened the orchid’s membrane with a sliver, bamboo, or stick, after which he spread the seeds with his fingers. Vanilla was brought from Mexico to Madagascar in 1890.
Vanilla ice cream is the world’s most popular ice cream flavor.
