What are vanilla beans and where do they come from?
Vanilla beans are actually the fruits of the tropical orchid variety Vanilla Planifolia. Of the many thousands of varieties of orchids this is the only one that bears edible fruit. The pods looked like green beans when ripe, after harvesting they need to be cured to develop that rich flavor. Vanilla beans are grown in the tropical climates only. Some of the more popular countries are Madagascar and the surrounding islands, Uganda, Indonesia, Tahiti, Mexico, India and Hawaii. Malaysia has just recently join in the vanilla bandwagon due to its lucrative commercial lure.
