Vanilla and chocolate have been blessing people’s taste buds for centuries. Even the Olmecs, Mayans and Aztecs put chocolate in their beverages for it mood enhancer and aphrodisiac qualities. Vanilla and chocolate are taking over the world everywhere you go you see chocolate and vanilla form it ranging from scented candles to pudding mix it’s everywhere. That’s astounding how the process has one considering all the hardships that occur when making both of these flavors.
Not a lot of people comprehend that vanilla had a humble beginning and rough beginning. While vanilla may be everywhere that’s a just a ploy its synthetic vanilla in reality 5% of vanilla on the market is the real stuff. The cause of the outburst of fake vanilla is due to the complications that occur when harvesting real vanilla. Vanilla flowers are found in Mexico that’s troublesome because the flowers are pollinated by Mexican Melipona bees which are dwindling in numbers. Adding insult to injury the plants only open for one day only.
In 1841 growers found a workaround to the problem and started hand pollinating the orchids which are a huge inconvenience. When picked the pods to have no fragrance so “they must be “killed” in hot water,” sweated” in the sun, dried in the shade, and “conditioned” in a closed box until they turn brown, supple, and fragrant.”(Gail Kay Haines pg 1 of Article) This process alone can take up to 3 to 8 months combined with the time it takes to grow it can take 5 years to produce real vanilla. Due to all the time and effort put into making vanilla, it is the second most expensive flavor on the market.
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Chocolate is referred to by many as the” food of gods” for good reason as it is easy to mass produce and it has health benefits. There is such an abundance of cocoa beans that in the 1500s it was used as currency by the Aztecs. The process of making Chocolate changed forever with the invention of the cocoa press. Which concentrated the cocoa butter from cocoa beans, it would leave behind a powder that was “mixed with liquids and other ingredients, poured into molds and solidified into edible, easily digestible chocolate.”(Christopher Klein).
In 1879 there was another revolutionary advance in the chocolate making when Rodolphe Lindt created a “machine that produced chocolate with a velvety texture and superior taste”(Christopher Klein). His creation helped the mass production of chocolate with its assembly lines. Now chocolate is a favored treat worldwide with it being appreciated with movies and amusement parks.
There is no comparison when talking about the process of producing vanilla and chocolate. Since vanilla is a whole ordeal and annoyance while chocolate is easy and affordable to mass produce. They have both made a significant impact on the palette of many countries. Both flavors have stayed a staple treat for more than 2 centuries and most likely stay as one.
