Vanilla

Vanillais aspicederived fromorchidsof the genusVanilla, primarily obtained from the seedpodsof the flat-leaved New World vanilla (V. planifolia). Vanillais notautogamous, sopollinationis required to produce the pods.In 1837, the Belgian botanistCharles François Antoine Morrendiscovered this and pioneered a method of artificially pollinating the plant.​​​‍​​‍​​​​‍​​‍‍ The method proved financially unworkable and was not deployed commercially. In 1841,Edmond Albius, a 12-year-old enslaved child who lived on the French island ofRéunionin the Indian Ocean, discovered that the plant could behand-pollinated.Hand-pollination allowed global cultivation of the plant. The noted French botanist and plant collectorJean Michel Claude Richardfalsely claimed to have discovered the technique three or four years earlier. By the end of the 20th century, Albius was considered the true discoverer. Three majorspeciesof vanilla currently are grown globally, all derived from a species originally found inMesoamerica, including parts of modern-dayMexico. They areV. planifolia(syn.V. fragrans), grown onMadagascar, Réunion, and other tropical areas along the Indian Ocean;V. × tahitensis, grown in the South Pacific; andV. pompona, found in the West Indies, Central America, and South America. The majority of the world's vanilla is theV. planifoliaspecies, more commonly known asBourbon vanilla(after the former name of Réunion, Île Bourbon) orMadagascar vanilla, which is produced in Madagascar and neighboring islands in the southwestern Indian Ocean, and in Indonesia. Madagascar's and Indonesia's cultivations produce two-thirds of the world's supply of vanilla. Measured by weight, vanilla is the world's second-most expensive spice aftersaffron, because growing the vanilla seed pods is labor-intensive. Nevertheless, vanilla is widely used in both commercial and domestic baking, perfume production, andaromatherapy, as only small amounts are needed to impart its signature flavor and aroma.