Vanilla
Aztec Gift to the World
AACCORDING TO THE AMERICAN ARCHAEOLOGIST and scholar Richard S. MacNeish, by the time European conquerors arrived in the New World in the 16th century, “Indians had made agricultural advances far beyond those of the Old World.” Produce of the Americas, such as the tomato, peanut, potato, green pepper, avocado, guava, pineapple, chilli, chocolate and vanilla were simply unknown in the Old World. Vanilla, produced by the Aztecs, was first cultivated in Mexico where Spanish conquistadores tasted it in the 1520s. Hernando Cortes and his men tried it, a delicious discovery for them, in the traditional Mexican chocolate drink. It is written that while the Spaniards were guests of Montezuma they tasted this chocolate and vanilla drink “all frothed up… in cup-shaped vessels of pure gold.”
In his history of the conquest of Mexico, William Prescott (an American historian and Hispanist) states: “The Emperor took no other beverage than chocolate, a potation of chocolate flavoured with vanilla and other spices (including chillies), and so prepared as to be reduced to a froth of the consistency of honey.” It seems that the Emperor liked this drink so much that “no less than 50 jars or pitchers” were prepared for his own daily consumption.
The Spaniards liked it too, and Cortes carried vanilla beans and cacao back to Europe. This Aztec drink of chocolate and vanilla soon became the rage in the Old World, where it was served hot (instead of cold) and topped with cream. In fact, vanilla is one of the most popular flavourings in the western world today. It comes from a plant of the genus Vanilla, Vanilla fragrans or planifolia. It was first found in Mexico where it grew naturally, sometimes as high as 60 feet, with thick stems and leaves and aerial roots. It was propagated by cuttings and
usually tied to posts or trees. Nature’s pollinating agents were hummingbirds, but when they were scarce the flowers were pollinated by hand.
It wasn’t until several decades later that Europeans thought of using vanilla independently. Apparently it was Queen Elizabeth I’s apothecary who first used vanilla to flavour other dishes.
This popular flavouring comes from a tropical American plant that is also grown in other tropical countries, including Indonesia and India. Of the 107 known varieties of vanilla orchid, only two species are used in cooking, Vanilla planifolia and Vanilla fragrans. When ready to pick, the precious fruits which yield vanilla are still immature. The long, slender pods or capsules are picked while unripe and then subjected to a curing process necessary to bring out the flavour. The capsule or ‘bean’ (sold in glass tubes) is sometimes used to flavour desserts but nowadays an extract is made with alcohol. The synthetic version available in supermarkets gets its flavour from several substances, and is sometimes adulterated. There is also a vanilla paste that is delicious and looks great swirled into desserts.
Allergies to natural vanilla are extremely rare but vanilla extract should not be consumed in large quantities as it is prepared from wood and often aged in oak barrels. There are some properties to note: vanilla is sometimes used as an aphrodisiac; it relieves tension and is said to help expel mucus. Apparently, pregnant women should not eat vanilla-laden dishes.
Today only a small part of the world’s vanilla comes from Mexico; most comes from Indonesia and a smaller quantity is now coming from India. Madagascar produces a creamy, sweet, smooth and mellow vanilla called Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla. It is my favourite.