Juneja began by saying that vanilla dates back to the Aztec Empire, a culture that flourished (briefly) in what is now Mexico, reaching its height in the 15th century. While the Aztecs are often credited with introducing chocolate to the world’s table, they were also the first to harvest and use the seeds of the vanilla plant. Juneja calls vanilla “one of the most ancient and sought-after flavors.”
For many years, the plants that produce vanilla were grown in Mexico alone because, as Juneja explains, “new regions did not have the Melipone bee which pollinates the vanilla plant in Mexico.” With today’s growing techniques, he says, more than 70 percent of vanilla comes from Madagascar, which grows a type called Planifolia. He went on to tell us about another variety that is also used for flavoring, one called Tahitensis that is grown mostly in Papua New Guinea. Other regions where vanilla (primarily Planifolia) is grown include Indonesia, Uganda, Tanzania, India, and Mexico, all of the growing fields being located in tropical climates no more than 20 degrees either north or south of the equator, Each different growing region, Juneja says, lend a distinctive flavor to their particular vanilla due to their own coil and climate. “Madagascar vanilla, also known as Bourbon Vanilla,” he tells us, “tends to be smooth and creamy with noticeable resinous and rummy notes, for instance, while Indonesian vanilla beans have more woody and smoky notes.”
