text: Killa Nilla - More Vanilla Facts
  For centuries vanilla beans (pods) have been one of the most familiar and loved flavors of the western palate. It is fundamental to western cuisine and is commonly used to flavor desserts, beverages, milk products and coffee.
  It is believed the Totonaca people of Mexico were the first cultivators of vanilla starting during MesoAmerican times. They believed this exotic fruit had been bestowed upon them by the Gods and continue to cultivate vanilla today.
  In the 14th century, the Spanish conquistadors under Cortez, watched Montezuma, Emperor of the Aztecs, pulverize vanilla beans, combine them with chocolate and serve it as a drink in golden goblets to his most honored guests. The Spanish caught on quickly and by the middle of the 15th century, were importing it to Europe to use as a flavor in the manufacture of chocolate.
  As European explorers and their attendant botanical recorders and collectors combed the forests of Central and South America, vanilla beans became more common in Europe. Europeans followed the example of the tribes in the New World and used vanilla beans in the production of medicine, as a nerve stimulant and as an aphrodisiac. They also invented a few of their own uses, including the flavoring of another New World product, tobacco.
  By the early 1800's vanilla plants were growing in botanical collections in Germany and France. Horticulturists were experimenting with conditions for its growth. From Europe it was transported to Reunion, Mauritius and the Malagasy Republic. In the new tropical colonies, slave labor discovered that hand pollination of the flowers was necessary to produce vanilla beans.
  Non-vacuum packed gourmet beans should last at least six months to a year (many times longer) if stored properly. Extraction grade beans will last essentially indefinitely.
  Vacuum packed beans will last for years.
  First time cooking with whole vanilla beans? No problem! This is the best way to use vanilla in it's most pure and unrefined state. To use your new vanilla bean, simply grab your favorite cutting board and sharp knife. Cut each end off the vanilla bean. Next, slice through the vanilla bean lengthwise. Do not be afraid to use some force here as vanilla beans can have a tough skin. Now that the bean is cut into halves, it is time to remove the paste from inside the bean. Hold your knife perpendicular to the bean and scrape. It is that easy!