Vanilla Is Exotic

It’s fascinating that “vanilla” is a synonym for “plain” given that:

1. Vanilla is the seed pod of an orchid native to Mexico
2. Outside of Mexico, vanilla must be hand-pollinated, making it second only to saffron in price
3. Hand-pollination of vanilla was discovered by a twelve-year-old enslaved child on Réunion
4. Real vanilla has ~200 distinct flavour and aroma compounds
5. Vanilla beans are essentially flavourless, they must be “killed”, “sweated”, “dried”, and “conditioned” over the course of a year

Vanilla is totally exotic, just as much as chocolate! “Vanillin” which is what we associate with plain vanilla is just one of the main compounds of vanilla, and it’s extracted from wood pulp, among other sources.