Vanilla

The aromatic seed pods of orchid species from America; fruit of Vanilla fragrans, also known as vanilla.

Overview

VANILLA is a culinary spice, cultivated for its fruit. It is yielded from the plant Vanilla planifolia Andrews, a climber in the Orchidaceae family, growing in wet tropical biome, with a native range of S. Mexico to Brazil.¹

It is used primarily in flavouring; baking; desserts; perfumery; aromatherapy. Its aroma is described as fragrant, sweet, delicious, with a heat index of 1.²

See more in ( Citation: POWO, 2024 POWO (2024). Plants of the world online. Facilitated by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved from http://www.plantsoftheworldonline.org/ ; Citation: Petruzzello, 2021 Petruzzello, M. (2021). List of herbs and spices. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/topic/list-of-herbs-and-spices-2024392 ; Citation: Wyk, 2014 Wyk, B. (2014). Culinary herbs and spices of the world. University of Chicago Press, joint publication with the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. ; Citation: Dalby, 2000 Dalby, A. (2000). Dangerous tastes: the story of spices. University of California Press. ; Citation: Hill, 2004 Hill, T. (2004). The contemporary encyclopedia of herbs and spices: Seasonings for the global kitchen. J. Wiley. )

Illustration of Vanilla planifolia from Köhler’s Medizinal-Pflanzen ( Citation: 1887 Köhler, H. (1887). Köhler’s Medizinal-Pflanzen in naturgetreuen Abbildungen mit kurz erläuterndem Texte: Atlas zur Pharmacopoea germanica, austriaca, belgica, danica, helvetica, hungarica, rossica, suecica, Neerlandica, British pharmacopoeia, zum Codex medicamentarius, sowie zur Pharmacopoeia of the United States of America. Franz Eugen Köhler. Retrieved from https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/bibliography/623 ) II 114.

Distribution

Native and introduced habitats of Vanilla planifolia³

Native areas:       Mexico Gulf, Mexico Southwest, Mexico Southeast, Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panamá, Colombia, Brazil Northeast, Brazil Southeast, Brazil North

Introduced areas: Gulf of Guinea Is., Zaïre, Chagos Archipelago, Comoros, Mauritius, Madagascar, Réunion, Seychelles, Bangladesh, Jawa, Lesser Sunda Is., Malaya, New Guinea, Niue, New Caledonia, Tonga, Cook Is., Marquesas, Society Is., Tuamotu, Caroline Is., Marianas, Florida, Cayman Is., Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Leeward Is., Puerto Rico, Trinidad-Tobago, Windward Is., French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Brazil West-Central, Paraguay

Bibliography