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Vanilla of Madagascar
Geography
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| | History
Vanilla has its origin in Central America. The Aztecs already used it to flavor their cocoa well before the discovery of the New World.
They called it “tlilixochitl” which means, “black flower”.
Hernando Cortez, the conqueror of Mexico, was probably the first European to discover the spice when he was invited by the Emperor Moctezuma to taste a chocolate drink “cacahuatl” flavored with vanilla.
The Spaniards named their exotic spice “vainilla” meaning, “little scabbard” and took it back with them to Spain. Vanilla slowly became popular throughout all of Europe
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These areas began planting vanilla especially the French on the Island of Bourbon (Reunion), the Dutch in the Dutch East Indies, Java, …
The French took a particular liking to the flavor and began using it as an ingredient in pastries, cakes and beverages. | |
The French wanted to grow vanilla for themselves in their colonies where the climate was similar to that of Vera Cruz. They were able to grow healthy plants that blossomed, but were never able to get a bean from the plant.
For 300 years Mexico maintained its monopoly of vanilla bean production despite constant efforts of the Europeans to induce vanilla vines to bear beans elsewhere in the world. In Mexico the vanilla flower was fertilized without human intervention by endemic bees like the “melipona”.
After a few attempts of artificial pollination in 1836 at the “Jardins Botanniques de Liege” in Belgium then in France, in 1841 a young slave named Edmond Albius succeeded in perfecting the process still used today. His careful examination of the anatomy of the bean led to his discovery of the difficulty of pollination. He then performed the pollination by hand.
Thus beans were produced outside of Mexico. Knowledge of the artificial pollination spread to European nations who had colonized tropical regions with climates suitable for growing orchids.
The discovery helped tremendously the production of the vanilla. In 1848, on the island of Reunion called “Ile Bourbon”, then in 1866 on the Seychelles Islands, in 1871 on Madagascar, and twenty years later on the Comoros Islands, Tahiti, Uganda, and Ceylon in 1912.
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Planters from the Reunion Island introduced vanilla in Madagascar more precisely on the island of Nosy Be (north west).
The plant thrives on the east coast in the region of Antalaha and Sambava where the climate is warm and humid.
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Vanilla now
At the present time vanilla is cultivated in Madagascar but also on the Island of Reunion, on the Comoros, in Uganda, in Indonesia, in New Guinea Papua, in India, French Polynesia…
Some pretend that vanilla is naturally present in Florida and in some countries of South America.
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According to the census, vanilla is cultivated on 64,000 ha. in Madagascar.
That area is spread between ten regions of the main island. The whole organization consists of 80,000 planters, 6,000 laborers, and 33 exporters.
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| | The region of Sava is located in the northeast of Madagascar. The area represents more than half of the Antsiranana province.
The region is limited to the east by the Indian Ocean, to the north by the “sous-prefecture” d’Antsiranana II , to the west by the “sous-prefectures” of Ambilobe and Bealalana, and to the south by the Tamatave province and the Antongil Bay.
The region regroups the prefectures of Sambavo, Antalaha, Vohemar, and Andapa – S.A.V.A.
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