V is for Virginia:Thomas Jefferson was the first American to bring vanilla to the U.S. when he returned to Monticello in 1789 following his tenure as ambassador to France.
A is for Aroma: Vanilla’s scent is known as calming, relaxing and sensual. It’s often used in perfume formulas and as a fragrance to conceal the strong odor of rubber tires, paint and cleaning products.
N is for North: Vanilla vines only grow 1-20 degrees north or south of the Equator.
I is for Ice Cream: Vanilla is still the most popular ice cream flavor in the U.S.
L is for Labor: Vanilla is the world’s second most labor-intensive agricultural crop, second only to saffron.
L is for Lifespan: A vanilla flower blooms for 24 hours and must be pollinated or dies.
A is for Ancient: Vanilla is one of the world’s most ancient flavors, dating back to Cortez’s conquest of the Aztec Kingdom in 1519.
B is for Bourbon: French vanilla beans are called “Bourbon” vanilla because cultivation first started around the mid-1800s on the French island colony of Reunion, east of Madagascar. At the time it was known as the “Island of Bourbon.”
E is for Europe: Vanilla beans are more popular in Europe. Americans tend to favor vanilla paste or extract because it’s easier than splitting and scraping a bean.
A is for Africa:Until the late 1800s, Mexico had the monopoly on growing vanilla. Today, the island of Madagascar, off the southeast coast of Africa, grows the majority of the world’s crop.
N is for Nickname: In Spanish, the word vanilla means “little pod.”
S is for Spiders: They don’t like vanilla; use whole vanilla beans to drive them away.
! The U.S. is the largest consumer of vanilla in the world!