Vanilla: properties and uses
Vanilla is a tropical orchid that grows on trees, its fruits, pods and seeds are used for several purposes. There are 110 vanilla variants that give beautiful white, slightly yellow or green flowers that grow on trees in forests and jungles in their natural state. These species are native to Central America (Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras...). The conquerors adopted them and little by little they became popular in the old world and elsewhere. Today vanilla is produced in Brazil, Madagascar, Indonesia, in the Pacific Islands such as the Cook Islands and Tahiti, Turkey, the Comoros Islands, China, the West Indies and Seychelles. These orchids begin to produce fruit after three years, their pods measure between 5 and 22cm. They are pollinated and harvested by hand, which is why it's an expensive…