The History of Vanilla

Mexico

The earliest we know of the cultivation of vanilla starts in the year 1158.

This is this year that we have the earliest traces of vanilla being cultivated on farms.

The Totonac people, who live along the east coast of Mexico in present-day Veracruz, were among the first people to cultivate vanilla.

They used vanilla for perfume in their temples, and as a lucky charm in amulets. Also for flavoring food and drink.

Thousands of years earlier, it is speculated whether the Olmec people may have been the first to use wild vanilla in their diet. There are also historical traces that may indicate connections between the Olmec and West African tribes, and that the agricultural knowledge they are known for may have some traces of earlier practices on the African continent. It is for chocolate which they are most famous.

The drink of the Gods

When the Aztecs invaded the Totonac people in 1427, they got the taste for vanilla. Among other things, they demanded that the Totonac people who grew vanilla should give some of the finest pods to the emperor Montezuma as tax payment. It was this that caused the cocoa accusations, because it was otherwise bitter, dry and bitter. The drink was known to be served in cups made of pure gold. Chocolate drinks came in many varieties among different peoples, they used cocoa, vanilla and chilli, and varied with honey, cornmeal, flowers and other things.

Legend Of Xanat

Princess Tzacopontziza tlilxochitl, "black flower", Nahuatl language There was a legend known as "The Legend Of Xanat" believed by the Totanac people about how vanilla was first created. The myth was that in Papantla, Mexico, a beautiful girl was born to King Tenitzli and his wife. Her name was Princess Tzacopontziza and she was forbidden to marry. One day while she was gathering flowers, Prince Zkatan-Oxga saw her and they fell in love and ran away together, but were soon discovered. As their punishment, they were beheaded. Where their blood wet the ground, a bush began to grow, and when the orchid opened, a beautiful fragrance came out. It was believed that the souls of the prince and princess had been transformed into the vanilla orchid. The response of the Totanac people about the flower was that they offered it to the gods so that the gods would keep them safe.

Hernán cortez

Hernán Cortés was a Spanish conquistador, known for bringing vanilla to Europe in 1528.

In 1519, Hernando Cortes is believed to have been served a drink mixture of cocoa and vanilla by the Aztec emperor Montezuma. They imported the processed vanilla beans from Mexico until the middle of the 19th century as a luxury item for the elite class.

The Bourbons

The Bourbon family line has dominated modern vanilla history. They have birthed many royals in both France and Spain, and other nobility positions. The Spanish royal house belongs to the House of Bouron.

After industrialization with steam engines, chocolate became popular among the general public. This led to a significant increase in the slave trade, as the processing also required a lot of manual labour. This would also come to affect the vanilla industry.

When the French colonized the island of Réunion in 1642, they brought vanilla with them. Back then the island was named Bourbon, after their noble family.

The name “Bourbon vanilla” is a common name for Vanilla Planifolia from Madagascar and related vanilla beans. As it is a nick name, it is possible to use the term Planifolia as an alernative. That is the correct and appropriate term, which also avoids giving credibility and ownership to oppressors of colonial history.

Edmond Albius

Edmond Albius Was born on the island of Bourbon (today called Reunion), in 1829. From an early age he worked with the botanist Ferréol Bellier-Beaumont, who taught him everything about plants and horticulture. At the age of 12, he introduced the method that made it possible to pollinate vanilla. Bellier-Beaumont, who at first did not believe that the boy had achieved what no one had managed for about 300 years, wrote in a letter in 1861:

"This clever boy had realized that the vanilla flower also had male and female elements, and figured out on his own how to combine them together."

False creditation

There is a false rumor that Thomas Jefferson invented vanilla ice cream.

This is not true. Admittedly, he was very fond of vanilla ice cream, and promoted it a lot. But Americans knew about vanilla ice cream in the colonies long before this. There is documentation of it in communities that has been colonized by America. Among other things, it is documented in 1744.