The Journey of Vanilla: From Plant to Extract [From Our Sponsor]

Vanilla is, in truth, a mystical Mexican orchid that is so difficult to cultivate it’s surprising anyone knows what it tastes like. Luckily for us, and for vanilla plants, the flavor is so good that much of the last 500 years have been dedicated to propagating and developing this tasty plant. Vanilla is native to Mexico, where Aztecs, Totonacs, and Mayans enjoyed and traded it for many centuries before the arrival of Cortes and his conquistadores in the 16th century. After the conquering Spanish first tasted vanilla, they brought the beans back to Europe, where royals, bakers, and perfume makers soon asked for more of this magical flowering tasting machine. As they did with many foods, Europeans increased their access to vanilla through a mutually reinforcing combination of science, conquest, and forced labor. It was a young slave working in the French colony of Réunion, the twelve year old Edmond Albius, who realized that the vanilla plant could be pollinated, but only by hand, while around the same time, a Belgian scientist named Charles Morren discovered a solitary species of bee native to Mexico that pollinated the Mexican vanilla plants in a similar way to Edmond’s method. This hand-pollination technique is still used today, in a process that is labor-intensive. It precipitated a massive rise in vanilla production almost immediately, which allowed for chefs around Europe to start experimenting with new uses for vanilla (hello, ice cream, pastries, and candies!). This only increased demand for this expensive plant that only flowers for one day. It wasn’t until the late 19th Century that scientists started extracting vanilla, and later deriving vanillin, the aroma that gives vanilla its distinctively sweet smell, from cheaper sources like wood pulp and clove oil. Overcoming a far-too-small supply of the vanilla plant traded in a tightly controlled market, these innovations have helped to make vanilla the most ubiquitous flavor in the world: it’s in our spa ventilation systems, our hand soaps, and most importantly, our favorite foods. Subscribe: Check out the new season of Savvy and learn “The Secret To the Best Cookie Buttercream Sandwich“: Watch Hugh Acheson Make Nachos Like Kris Jenner: Love Meat? Tune in every week for explainers, best bites, science and more with Professional Carnivore, Nick Solares: View our full video catalog: Visit our playlists: Like Eater on Facebook: Follow on Pinterest: Follow Eater on Twitter: Read more: Our Video Crew: