What is vanilla made from?
Vanilla comes from the cured seed pods of the vanilla orchid, a climbing plant originally from Mexico. The pods, called vanilla beans, develop their flavor through months of curing.
The vanilla orchid produces flowers that bloom for only one day. In Mexico, a local bee pollinates them naturally, but elsewhere, each flower must be pollinated by hand. In 1841, a 12-year-old enslaved boy named Edmond Albius on the island of Réunion developed a quick hand-pollination method still used today.
After about nine months, the green pods are harvested. They are then blanched, sweated, dried in the sun and conditioned for several months. During this process, a compound called vanillin develops, along with hundreds of other flavor compounds, turning the pods dark brown and fragrant.
Where it is grown
Madagascar produces most of the world's vanilla, followed by Indonesia, Mexico, Papua New Guinea and Uganda. Pure vanilla extract is made by soaking beans in alcohol. Most vanilla flavoring in processed foods uses artificial vanillin made from other sources.
Did You Know?
The Totonac people of Mexico were among the first to cultivate vanilla, and the Aztecs later used it to flavor chocolate drinks.