Vanilla Planifolia

Vanilla Planifolia is a variety of vanilla orchid harvested for its high vanillin content in Central America and the Caribbean. Its long pods withhold intensely aromatic grains, often used in flavoring. Vanilla vines were introduced in Europe in the XVI century by the conquistador Hernan Cortès, who defeated the Aztec empire. The exploitation of vanilla soared when two years later, a young slave of the Reunion Island, Edmond Albius, discovered a technique for the quick pollination of vanilla orchids. It soon became a specialty of the island, and still today, the women of reunion have kept to the tradition of using a blade of grass and a bamboo stick to polinate flower after flower. Vanilla’s warm aroma is joyous; its caramel and amber overtones make it a prized scent.