Vanilla Cultivation
Vanilla pods are the fruit of the golden flowered vanilla orchid, Vanilla planifolia, a large, green stemmed, climbing perennial plant with a fleshy, succulent stem, smooth, thick, oblong bright green leaves and numerous twining aerial roots by which it clings to trees in its wild state. It may grow to 30m, climbing to the tops of tall forest trees. The pods, commercially called beans, have no flavour when picked, as the flavour develops during the curing process. The beans are very dark brown and contain tiny black seeds.


At the Tranquil plantation, we have set aside nearly 40 acres for the cultivation of this fascinating and valuable plant. Its cultivation requires an extraordinary amount of care and attention. The vanilla orchid is incapable of pollinating by itself. In Mexico, the natural home of Vanilla, a particular strain of bees carries out this process. Since we do not have this natural pollinator here in India, the human hand does the pollinating!


ORIGIN AND HISTORY
Vanilla is native to the tropical rainforest of southeastern Mexico and Central America. When the Spanish conquistadores were in Mexico in 1520, they observed the emperor Montezuma drinking a beverage of cocoa beans, corn, vanilla pods and honey. They were so impressed that they took vanilla back to Spain and, by the end of the 16th century; factories were established to manufacture chocolate with vanilla flavouring.

PROCESSING
Vanilla pods must be cured in order for the vanillin, which gives vanilla its distinctive flavour, to be produced. The curing method facilitates the enzymatic process that transforms glucovanillin into vanillin. It consists mainly of keeping the pods warm and slowly drying for nearly six months until they become pliable and deep brown, with a fine white crystalline coating of vanillin.