Vanilla Vanilla planifolia The dried fruit pods of a climbing orchid, native to Central American tropical forests and, in particular, those of Mexico. It is indigenous to the region, with attempts at transplantation to other countries meeting with little success until a way was found to simulate the pollination which occurs naturally in the wild, and which enables the formation of fruit. In the 19th century a Belgina botanist, Charles Morren, discovered that, in its natural habitat, only one species of bee and one species of hummingbird were the means by which the plants were pollinated. But it was a slave in Réunion, Albius, who discovered a method of hand pollination which meant that the plant could be grown successfully in other tropical areas such as Mauritius, Réunion and Madagascar. Of course, this labour-intensive method of pollination does make the spice very expensive, and so finding a synthetic form of the flavour has occupied food scientists for many years. In 1874 the first synthetic vanillin , the essential oil which gives vanilla its flavour, was extracted from a certain variety of conifer by German chemists. By 1925, a successful chemical sythetic was produced, using oil of cloves and subsequent methods have utilised coal tar extracts and even wood waste. But, no matter how successful the scientists have been in matching the chemical signature of vallinin, purists still insist that they lack the subtle spiciness of ‘the real thing.’ Despite the expense, vanilla has been a popular flavouring worldwide for confectionary and thrifty cooks would make the pods last longer by storing them in jars of sugar and using the flavoured sugar produced in their dishes instead of lavishing the actual pods on just one recipe. In country magic, a small amount of vanilla sugar was added to love potions in order to make them more effective.