Vanilla is a spice that is extracted from the fermented pods of different orchid types of the genus Vanilla. The evergreen climber reaches a length of 10-15 meters after five years.
History
The vanilla plant is native to Mexico and Central America. Particularly due to its aromatic ingredient Vanillin, the vanilla plant was already known among the Mexican natives, the Aztecs, who called it tlilxochitl (= black flower). The Spaniards discovered the vanilla in 1519 and for a long time they had a monopoly on it. At that time, vanilla was worth its weight in gold.