Definition: “Vanilla is a flavor derived from orchids of the genus Vanilla, primarily from the Mexican species, flat-leaved vanilla (V. planifolia). The word vanilla, derived from the diminutive of the Spanish word vaina (vaina itself meaning sheath or pod), translates simply as “little pod”.[1] Pre-Columbian Mesoamerican people cultivated the vine of the vanilla orchid, called tlilxochitl by the Aztecs. Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés is credited with introducing both vanilla and chocolate to Europe in the 1520s.[2]
Initial attempts to cultivate vanilla outside Mexico and Central America proved futile because of the symbiotic relationship between the vanilla orchid and its natural pollinator, the local species of Melipona bee.[3] Pollination is required to set the fruit from which the flavoring is derived. In 1837, Belgian botanist Charles François Antoine Morren discovered this fact and pioneered a method of artificially pollinating the plant. The method proved financially unworkable and was not deployed commercially.[4] In 1841, Edmond Albius, a slave who lived on the French island of Réunion in the Indian Ocean, discovered at the age of 12 that the plant could be hand-pollinated. Hand-pollination allowed global cultivation of the plant.[5]
Three major species of vanilla currently are grown globally, all of which derive from a species originally found in Mesoamerica, including parts of modern-day Mexico.[6] The various subspecies are Vanilla planifolia (syn. V. fragrans), grown on Madagascar, Réunion, and other tropical areas along the Indian Ocean; V. tahitensis, grown in the South Pacific; and V. pompona, found in the West Indies, and Central and South America.[7] The majority of the world’s vanilla is the V. planifolia species, more commonly known as Bourbon vanilla (after the former name of Réunion, Île Bourbon) or Madagascar vanilla, which is produced in Madagascar and neighboring islands in the southwestern Indian Ocean, and in Indonesia.[8][9] Leptotes bicolor is used in the same way in South America.
Vanilla is the second most expensive spice after saffron,[10][11] because growing the vanilla seed pods is labor-intensive.[11] Despite the expense, vanilla is highly valued for its flavor, which author Frederic Rosengarten, Jr. described in The Book of Spices as “pure, spicy, and delicate”; he called its complex floral aroma a “peculiar bouquet”.[12] As a result, vanilla is widely used in both commercial and domestic baking, perfume manufacture and aromatherapy.” (Wikipedia)
a genus of orchids
a color variation
a lightweight Internet forum package
something ordinary or everyday (plain vanilla)
computer software which is not customized.
a girl band from Barnet, London, England
Vanilla the Rabbit – a Sonic the Hedgehog character
Vanilla – an Asterix character
Vanilla, Pennsylvania
The Vanilla JS team maintains every byte of code in the framework and works hard each day to make sure it is small and intuitive.
The Vanilla workshop bicycles
Vanilla Bean Frappuccino® Blended Crème
vanilla fudge
Bourbon Vanilla Extract
Vanilla buttercream
vanilla bean
Tahitian vanilla
Vanilla Ice
Absolute Vanilla
Cherry Vanilla soda
Amy Sedaris’s Vanilla Cupcakes
Rapper Vanilla Ice
Post the direct URL (link) where your drawing, doodle, artwork is posted (e.g. your blog, Flickr) in the comments area of this post. I would really like to keep all the artwork together and provide a way for others to see your work and get familiar with your blog or website.
The Creative Prompt Project, also, has a Flickr group, which you can join to post your responses. I created this spot so those of you without blogs and websites would have a place to post your responses.
We are also talking about this on Twitter and Instagram. Use the hashtag #CPP
