"It would be a pity to lose these soothing, warm sensations to something chemically made and one-dimensional while the real deal gets relegated to the memory bins of an older generation. Mostly, I hope that we'll learn to recognize the value and the time it takes to grow a single vanilla pod, especially in the tropical belt full of birdsong and brightly colored insects under that colorful canopy of wild and audacious feather and carapace, the pale vanilla orchid glows as if it were a sentinel, a lighthouse offering us a gentle warning before it's too late," writes essayist and poet Aimee Nezhukumatathil in her opinion piece for the New York Times.
From her relatives in India and the Philippines to her friends in Switzerland and Mexico, Nezhukumatathil says that vanilla is the one soothing, calm scent that everyone agrees on. Often used as an adjective to describe something boring, the expensive ingredient went from spice cabinet status symbol to an aroma that infuses countless products. As is the case with other tropical ingredients like coffee and chocolate, vanilla is falling prey to global warming and climate change.
Nezhukumatathil shares the story of Edmond Albius, an enslaved 12-year-old who worked on the plantation of a botanist. The scientist and his colleagues hadn't figured out a way to hand-pollinate the vanilla orchids that he grew. It was young Albius who discovered how to do the work of bees. At least, his enslaver ensured in his will that the boy received credit for the technique.
It takes eight months after an orchid is pollinated to produce a bean. While the majority of the world's vanilla is grown in Madagascar and Mexico, each year, 4.5 million pounds are produced globally. You need 300 hand-pollinated orchid blossoms to get one pound of dried vanilla beans. In the last 20 to 30 years, the frequency and intensity of hurricanes, cyclones, and tropical storms have affected vanilla farmers and production.
Nezhukumatathil's book is Bite by Bite: Nourishments and Jamborees.
"Bite by Bite" explores the link between food and memory. Photo courtesy of Ecco.