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 Madagascar 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
Tour: Andapa
Tour: Sambava
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