Eugenia Essentials

Today the word vanilla is often used to describe something as plain, boring or maybe even bland. However, the history of vanilla is anything but! Vanilla comes from a tropical orchid and was first cultivated by the pre-Columbian Totonac people of Mexico. Totonac mythology told a story of the goddess Princess Xanat who ran off with her mortal lover into the jungle. Condemned by her outraged father, the lovers were hunted down and alas beheaded! The spot where the lovers’ blood spilled grew up the vine of the vanilla orchid. The word vanilla comes from the Spanish and means “little pod.”  The vanilla orchid is hermaphroditic (meaning it contains both male and female reproductive parts). The flower could only be pollinated by the Melipone bee. For hundreds of years the orchid could not be cultivated outside of Mexico until hand pollination was discovered. Today the vines are now grown in other tropical regions of the world. Each flower produces one pod which shrivels and turns black once harvested. The harvesting, and hand pollination, along with the extraction of the tiny seeds is labor intensive which accounts for the high price of pure vanilla. There are three subspecies of the original species grown today, Vanilla planifolia, Vanilla tahitensis, and Vanilla pompona. Vanilla planifolia is the most commonly produced.

So the next time you are enjoying vanilla’s sweet fragrance or flavor, maybe you’ll give a silent thanks to the fated couple whose love brought forth the beloved vanilla orchid vine.