Maria Allen
Vanilla is a plant and a spice. The plants are climbing plants and belong to the orchids. Their berries are often called vanilla beans. Inside are small seeds.
There are many types of vanilla, but only some of them can be used as spice vanilla. They come from South America. Vanilla was brought to Europe from America as early as the 1520s. Later, vanilla was also cultivated in Africa and Asia. However, much of the vanilla we eat is artificial. This substance is called vanillin.
Actually, spiced vanilla is poisonous. Some people react to this with an allergy. You have to dip the fruit in hot water for a short time and then leave it to dry in the sun for a long time. It’s time-consuming, and that’s why natural vanilla is expensive. They are often used for desserts, for example in ice cream.