Vanilla is an edible fruit of the Vanilla Planifolia, an orchid family of the tropics, mostly grown in Madagascar, Tahiti and Mexico. Bourbon vanilla, the one coming from Madagascar and the Tahitian vanilla are the two most commercially used vanillas. Vanilla was originally cultivated by the Totonaca people in Mexico, with which they considered as a precious gift from their gods.

Vanilla is considered world’s second most expensive spice because it is the world’s most labor-intensive agricultural product. The cultivation of the vanilla vines takes 3 years before it can flourish. Vanillas are also hand pollinated in order to grow. They would thrive best in places where the consistency of the soil is loose and high in organic content. The fruits of the vanilla are known as the vanilla beans. These vanilla beans have to stay on the vines for nine months in order for it to completely mature and develop. While on this form, vanilla has neither fragrance nor flavor even until they are harvested. The unique fragrance and flavor of vanilla are only developed once they are processed and cured.

After they are harvested, the vanilla beans are brewed in hot water. After which, the brewed vanilla beans are shrunken to almost 20% of their original size by exposing them under direct sunlight for several weeks to months. This is now the time that the vanilla’s flavor and fragrance develop. Once dried, the vanilla pods are then sorted out according to sizes.

Madagascar is considered to be a poor country despite of the richness of its land and major wildlife. Because of its poor economic state, one very common problem that most vanilla farmers face is the rustling of their vanilla products. And with that, all cultivators have branded their beans while in the vines. The markings stay on the pods even when they’re dried. Because of their distinctive markings, the growers can easily determine if their beans are stolen.

The Madagascar vanilla or the Bourbon vanilla is considered to be the most expensive and the finest vanilla in the world. When you buy vanilla, as much as possible, choose only the one that came from Madagascar.

Vanilla is also expensive because of the fact that it has a lot of use. Other than being famous for culinary purposes and fragrances in perfumes and lotions, vanilla is also used as flavor for medicines. It’s also used to mask or lessen the smell or industrial tires.