VAINILLA
The vanillais the fruit of the orchid Vanilla planifolia native to Central America. Only in the nineteenth century did botanists succeed in deciphering the way of cultivating it commercially elsewhere. The main problems for its cultivation is that to produce the vanilla "pod" the orchid must be pollinated, and this is only done naturally by the melipona bee and a species of hummingbirds which are only found in Central America.
These species were introduced in the countries where the commercial exploitation of vanilla emerged, but as the orchid remains open only for one day and, unless it is pollinated it falls, manual pollination was implemented.
The quality of the flower depends on the quality of the pod, so not all flowers are pollinated to avoid poor quality pods.
Although the Mexican Vanilla is sometimes considered to be the original one and that with the best flavor and color, due to sanitary and pollution problems a strict control before deciding to purchase vanillas of this origin is required. It is the island of Madagascar that concentrates 70% of the world production, the world-wide known Bourbon Vanilla. Once harvested, the pod must be aged for approximately two years so that all its aroma and flavor emerge.
Both political and climate issues in Madagascar have led to a steady increase in vanilla prices in recent years.
Educao can provide Madagascar vanilla, as whole pods, in pieces, or powder.
