Vanilla is often regarded as one of the most basic – and sometimes boring – flavors. However, the flavor and the bean it comes from have a storied past with unique Francophone connections.
A Brief History of Vanilla
The vanilla bean is the source of all vanilla flavor. The bean (which is a bit of a misnomer) is the fruit of an orchid vine. The orchid is native to Mexico and cannot be pollinated outside of the country. Mexico is home to a specific bee, called the Melipona bee, which is the only pollinator capable of initiating the flower to close and become a vanilla bean. Even when some scientists tried to use Melipona bees outside of Mexico, they still could not pollinate the orchid fruits.
In Mexico, there is a myth that comes from the Totonic peoples of Eastern Mexico that details the origins of the orchid plant. The story says that Princess Xanat once had many lovers who hid in the forests. When her father found out, he had them slain. The spots where the blood landed were rumored to be the original sites of orchid plants and brought vanilla to the lands. When the Aztecs conquered the Totonics in the 15th century, they forced them to transport orchid cuttings across the empire. When the region was once more conquered by Spanish conquistador Hernan Cortes, vanilla was transported back to Europe, where they struggled to pollinate the plants.
Pollination Problems & Curing
Cuttings from orchid plants that were growing in a London greenhouse were delivered to Paris and the Netherlands in 1806. The French cuttings were spread between the islands of Reunion and Mauritius, two tropical colonies of France at the time. There, the French hoped that the climate would allow pollination. Due to the absence of the Melipona bee, their efforts were fruitless.
In 1841, Edmon Albius was the first to discover how to pollinate the plant. Albius, a 12-year-old slave on the island of Reunion, discovered a method of hand pollination. He stuck a thin stick into the flower and touched the male and female parts of the flower together, pollinating it. Today, this process is known as La Geste d’Edmond (Edmond’s Gesture). The process must be done with delicacy and speed, as the orchid flower only remains in bloom for 24 hours before dying. The flower must be pollinated within that time to become a vanilla bean.
Once the beans have been picked, they must be cured. During the day, they are baked in the sun to dry out; at night, they are wrapped in some sort of blanket (sometimes made of leaves or spare fabrics) to “sweat” in the humid tropical air. Each day, a vanilla farmer will massage the bean to release more enzymes and moisture. This occurs for around thirty days before the bean is ready to package.
Madagascar Vanilla
Madagascar is home to the production of over 80% of the world’s vanilla. The orchid plant was originally introduced to the island in the 1880s via the island of Nosy Be off the coast of Northern Madagascar. Planters from Reunion sought new fertile grounds for vanilla production. Today, most of the vanilla production in Madagascar comes from the Sava region of northeastern Madagascar.
The vanilla produced in Madagascar is unique for its heightened vanillin concentration. Vanillin is the chemical component that delivers the sweet, warm, and creamy flavors that we prescribe to vanilla. Madagascar vanilla is the most used strain of vanilla and is known for its strong flavors to be used in food (most commonly, baked goods)
Tahitian Vanilla
Tahitian Vanilla is a unique hybrid between Madagascar Vanilla (Vanilla Planifolia) and an aromatic strain called Vanilla Ordorata. Vanilla was introduced to Tahiti in 1848 by Admiral Ferdinand-Alphonse Hamelin, where the two strains met and crossed into the new hybrid strain.
The hybrid strain is unique in a few ways. Unlike Madagascar Vanilla, it has a long-lasting aroma that has sweet and spicy notes. Many say that Tahitian Vanilla smells like sweet honeysuckle, jasmine, star anise, and young lilacs. Madagascar Vanilla tends to have a shorter aroma with less nuance. For this reason, Tahitian Vanilla is common for fragrances. The beans themselves are also easier to split apart and yield more “vanilla caviar,” the tiny black seeds that are what contain the vanillin. This makes Tahitian Vanilla easier to use for amateur bakers or in larger quantities.
French Vanilla
Bringing the vanilla phenomenon back home is French Vanilla. Yet, this is a bit of a new form. French Vanilla is not a type of vanilla strain – as the plant tends to only grow in tropical environments. Instead, it is a method of ice cream production! An old French tradition of using eggs to make a custard base for ice cream spawned the name “French Vanilla.” From there, the flavor profile was adapted to other sweet concoctions, such as coffee creamers.
Across the Francophone world, vanilla has become a staple production and flavor. The vanilla industry arose due to France’s introduction of the orchid plant into its colonies, and it continues to prosper in those now-independent nations. The history of vanilla is undoubtedly a cross between Mexican origins and Francophone proliferation.
Written by Kaleb Houle-Lawrence
University Intern
Comentários