You were asking about Vanilla?

Yes, the genus Vanilla Sw. belongs in the family of Orchidaceae.

The word is derived from the Latin language and means something like ‘sheath’ referring to the seed pod, the Vanilla bean.

The alkaloid substance Vanilla is used mostly as a flavouring agent; of course the natural Vanilla is more expensive and tastes nicer, but in a blind test, most persons preferred the result when artificial “vanillin” was used. This was also used in a product called “New Coke”, except that was not popular with consumers. Actually, the Coca Cola Company is one of the largest users of Vanilla. The plant which is responsible for this flavouring agent is one of about 100 different species of the genus Vanilla. These plants grow in many tropical and subtropical areas of the world and are somewhat related to the saprophytic genus Malleola.

Hawkes lists the following nine species in his Encyclopaedia:

In general, the large, scented flowers are short-lived but the clusters can be in bloom for several weeks. The plants are vines, rooted in the ground but use their aerial rootlets to climb into trees. These vines have to be at least ten feet ( 3 meters) long before they are mature enough to start flowering; they can be manipulated to some extent by allowing the apical part to hang downward from their support.

Vanilla planifolia, the source of our favourite ice cream flavour, is grown in large commercial plantations in Turkey, the Comoro Islands, India, China, French Polynesia, Northern Australia and Hawaii.

Vanilla sp. flower

While in their native habitat, these flowers are pollinated by a particular kind of bee, which insures cross pollination to continue with healthy offspring. In the plantations there are no such bees and the flowers must be pollinated by hand. In 1841, a young slave boy invented the method of using a needle to remove the rostellum and pinching the flower together to place the pollinia on the stigma, thus ensuring self pollination. In a large plantation, this work can go on all year, day after day. The ensuing seedpods grow to about 15 – 20 cm long and are harvested before they are completely ripe. They are then fermented and cured before shipping off to the merchants. The actual seed inside the bean looks like black, sticky flour and produces that wonderful taste.

It is said that the best tasting in Bourbon Vanilla comes from the islands in the Indian Ocean (Réunion, Madagascar). The original Mexican Vanilla, used by the indigenous population in pre-Columbian times is called Totonac Vanilla. The Conquistadores brought this, along with many other treasures, to Europe in the 16th century. At times, Vanilla was touted as an aphrodisiac, but that is said now to be incorrect. What the tourist markets in Mexico may sell to the unsuspecting shopper is Coumarin, an extract from the Tonka Bean which is rather toxic when used in large quantities.

Vanilla sp. vines

To grow a Vanilla orchid, you must keep it warm, around 25 – 30 C, never colder than 15C, humid with medium light, regular water and fertilizer; you must provide a stout support – I have seen these vines growing over 50 feet long in older greenhouses, twining everywhere and smelling - like vanilla! One orchid grower on the big island of Hawaii keeps them in his shade house in Kealekekua. He has each plant in a five gallon tub, standing on a slatted bench, where the roots can grow down into tubs with fertilizer water. The vines are wound around and around like a wreath and the buds, flowers and finger-like seedpods hang out everywhere. Of course, that is in Kona where the sun shines almost every day! These orchids are usually propagated by cuttings. So far, nobody has seriously tried to hybridize the Vanilla orchids.

To use Vanilla, you can either buy the liquid version – please buy real Vanilla flavour! – or you can go one step beyond and buy Vanilla beans. You can slice them open lengthwise, scrape out the black seed and use it whenever a recipe calls for Vanilla. The pods, empty of seed, can be boiled to impart their flavour to the boiling liquid. You can also place the empty pods, cut into 5 cm pieces, inside a glass jar and fill that up with berry sugar, creating you very own vanilla sugar. Enjoy!

Ingrid Schmidt-Ostrander - Canadian Orchid Congress