The Most Important Flavor Presented Feb 14, 2018 Denver Botanical Gardens Guild Test Your Knowledge Vanilla: Yesterday and Today

 History  Botany  Production & Tour  Fun Facts  Questions Origins: Where Did It All Start?

 Highlands near Veracruz  Paplanta Origins: Local Use & Trade – Pre 1520 AD

 Xocolatl – a cocoa beverage of ancient origin used vanilla to help de-bitter the drink  Cocoa beans were used as a monetary unit  Aztecs became dominant in the 1300’s and demanded cocoa beans as a tribute  Local people (Totenacs) taught the Aztecs how to make xocolatl Origins: 500 Years Ago

 Hernan Cortes: Conquers Moctezuma 1519  Returns to Spain with Gold, cocoa & vanilla  Becomes Governor of New Spain 1524  Cocoa and vanilla beans become a standard commodity for the Spanish crown  Spain never learned how to get vanilla to produce fruit  Mexico remained the only source in the world until 1836 Origins: Fancy of Aristocracy

 Chocolate flavoring - European aristocracy  Meat flavoring - Queen Elizabeth I  Ice Cream flavor – French court  Thomas Jefferson – late 1780’s  It flowers in a London greenhouse – 1807  Hand pollination discovered – 1836  1st Isle de Reunion export - France 59kg 1848  Two metric tonnes exported - 1858 Botany: Vanilla Planifolia

 Family: Orchidaceae  Flower: perfect/bisexual  Plant habit: epiphytic vine, must have support  Vines 50-75 ft long after 12yrs  Environment:  tropical (temp range: 65 – 85F)  Humid  High organic matter soils  Elevation: sea level – 2500 ft  Propagation: cuttings  Time to fruit bearing: 3-4 years Botany: Vanilla Planifolia

 Infloresence: raceme  Flowers/raceme: 15-25  Bud to Flower: 50-60 days  Flowering of raceme: 20- 30 days; 1 flower/day  Receptivity: 2-4 hrs in a.m.  Pollination: hand Botany: Pollination Production: Regions 2017

Leading Countries: Vanilla Bean Production

Tons of Vanilla Rank Country Produced

1 Indonesia 3,200 2 3,100 3 Mexico 463 Papua New 4 433 Guinea 5 China 335 6 Turkey 290 7 Tonga 198 8 Uganda 161 9 Comoros 35 10 Malawi 22 https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/the-leading-countries-in-vanilla-production-in-the- world.html Production Tour: India Production Tour: India Production Tour: India Production Tour: India Production Tour: India Production Tour: India Production Tour: India Production Tour: Madagascar Production Tour: Madagascar Production Tour: Madgascar Production Tour: Antalaha Production Tour: Antalaha Production Tour: Madagascar Production Tour: Antalaha Production Tour: Antalaha Production Tour: Antalaha Production Tour: Antalaha Production Tour: Antalaha

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Tour:

Tour: Vohemar

Fun Facts

 How do you know if the bottle of vanilla you have is real?  In which food is most vanilla flavoring used?  Food & beverage flavoring is the primary use for vanilla; what is 2nd?  What is the genus for all vanilla species?  Who was the first U.S. president to serve vanilla ice cream in the White House  What is the plant growth habit of vanilla?  What does it mean to ‘fold’ vanilla extract?  What language was spoken by the people who first used vanilla?  What U.S. state makes the most vanilla extract?  If you travel to Madagascar to see vanilla, what language should you speak?  What alcoholic beverage sometimes shares it name with vanilla extract? Xocolatl: Moctezuma’s Elixer

 Bring 1 1/2 cup water to a boil in a pot; Ingredients  add the chili pepper, seeds included, to the boiling water and cook at a boil for 5 to 10 1. 1 green or red chili pepper minutes. 2. ¼ cup cocoa powder  Strain the chili pepper and seeds from the 3. 2 tsp vanilla extract water; return the water to the pot.  Add 4 cups water to the chili pepper-infused water, reduce heat to medium-low, and bring to a slow boil.  Stir the cocoa powder and vanilla extract into the boiling water;  cook and stir until the powder dissolves completely, 5 to 10 minutes. Quetzalcoatl