a vanilla tale
Vanilla is one of the most valuable spices in the world and was
originally a
native plant of Mexico. It was first described by the conquistador
Hernan
Cortes in 1520 as a result of meeting the Aztec emperor Montezuma who
drank
a special beverage flavoured with powdered cocoa beans, ground corn and
vanilla pods mixed with honey. Sounds delicious.
Attempts were made to grow vanilla outside of Mexico by the French
beginning
in 1819 in their Indian ocean territory of Reunion, however, because the
vanilla plant which is in fact an orchid, is normally pollinated by a
particular bee in Mexico these attempts failed to create the seed pods
necessary to produce the spice. It was not until 1841 that artificial
pollination of the vanilla orchid was discovered and successful
cultivation
became possible.
Most of the world's vanilla is grown in Reunion, The Comores,
Madagascar,
French Polynesia, Fiji and Tonga.
Vanilla is widely used to flavour foods and drinks including Coca Cola
and
is very popular in perfumery in both its natural and synthetic forms.
Natural vanilla is superior to the much more common synthetic vanilla
and
once you have tasted "real" Bourbon vanilla bean ice cream
which is pale
straw in colour, rich in butter fats and contains tiny black flecks from
the
vanilla seeds I am sure you will agree. The perfect accompaniment for a
Tart
Tartin or for making Jim's favourite, Affogato al Cafe.
An affogato is simplicity itself. Place a generous scoop of fine quality
Bourbon vanilla ice-cream in a glass and pour a hot double espresso
coffee
over the top. Eat it with a spoon and enjoy the way the bitterness of
the
coffee marries with the cool, creamy richness of the vanilla ice-cream.