Vanilla fast facts

vanilla pods

• Vanilla was used by the ancient Aztecs to sweeten chocolate.
• The Aztecs named the vanilla bean "tlilxochitl", or "black flower".
• The Spanish Conquistador Cortez is credited with bringing both vanilla and chocolate back to Spain.
• Etymologically, vanilla derives from the Spanish word "vainilla", little pod.
• The first to cultivate vanilla were the Totonac people.
• Vanilla is the second most expensive spice after saffron.
• Vanilla is grown in such tropical climates as Madagascar, Mexico, Tonga, Indonesia, Uganda, and Comoros.
• Despite its high cost, vanilla is widely used in both commercial and domestic baking, aromatherapy, and perfume manufacture.
• Until the mid-nineteenth century, Mexico was the major producer of vanilla.
• The island of Madagascar is now responsible for 97 percent of the world's vanilla bean production.
• Mexico, once the leading producer of natural vanilla with an annual 500 tons, produced only 10 tons of vanilla in 2006. 
• The most common flavor of ice cream is vanilla. 
• In old medicinal literature, vanilla is described as an aphrodisiac.
• The essential oils of vanilla and vanillin are sometimes used in aromatherapy.