Vanilla
Vanilla is a natural antidepressant, reduces anxiety, and improves mood.
The name “vanilla” comes from “small pod”; The “pod” or fertilized ovary of the flower of a species of orchid.
As a result of the fertilization of the flower, the ovary gives rise to the fruit, which forms a hanging fleshy pod, which gradually matures, turning dark over time and giving off an intense and delicious aroma.
The fresh and still odorless pods are collected and left to dry. It is during the drying and curing process when, as a result of fermentation, the flavor and aroma of vanilla is generated, a process that can last several months.
Aztecs, Mayans and the food of the gods
Vanilla is a beautiful orchid that has been valued by various cultures throughout history.
Before the arrival of the Spanish, vanilla was already cultivated in Central America. Initially, the indigenous people collected vanilla from wild orchids that grew in the jungle, and over time, it began to be cultivated using cuttings.
Both the Aztecs and the Mayans used the pod of this plant to flavor liquors and cocoa, coming to consider vanilla as a food of the gods and a symbol of wealth and power.
Vanilla is analgesic, anxiolytic, slightly stimulating, improves mood and awakens libido.
Plant
Vanilla is a spice that comes from Central America; It is obtained from a genus of orchids that has about 110 species distributed throughout the tropical and subtropical regions of the world. Among all these species, the best known and most used for vanilla production is the Vanilla planifolia orchid, native to Mexico and Central America.