Vanilla is one of the world’s most popular spices, and the second-most expensive after saffron. This multi-million dollar industry is all down to Edmond Albius (1829–80), a 12-year-old slave from the Réunion Island. His ingenious thinking enabled artificial pollination on a mass scale, which in turn enabled the industry that we know today. However, Edmond was never compensated for his contribution, dying practically penniless, and to this day is still relatively unknown.
Vanilla planifolia
Painting of Vanilla planifolia by John Tyley fromAlexander Anderson's Hortus Sti. Vincentii Tabulae
The flavour we know and love so well comes from the fruit (seed pods) of the vanilla orchid. (The word ‘vanilla’ itself actually means ‘little pod’; it is derived from the Spanish word ‘vainillia’—a diminutive of ‘vaina’—which means ‘sheath’ or ‘pod’.) The most widely known vanilla orchid, and the only one cultivated for vanilla production, is the flat-leaved vanilla plant (Vanilla planifolia), native to Mexico. Spanish explorer Hernán Cortés (1485–1547) is credited with bringing the delectable spice to the Old World in the 16th century, but at that time it was only really seen as a way of ‘flavouring’ chocolate. As soon as it made its way to the households of the elite, in foods like ice cream, as a miracle drug and as an aphrodisiac, demand for the spice increased. However, there was a problem; very few plants outside of Mexico would bear fruit.
Edmond was born into slavery in 1829, in Sainte-Suzanne on the island of Bourbon (modern-day Réunion). His mother, Melise, died in childbirth and he never knew his father, Pamphile. At an early age he was sent by his master to work with Ferréol Bellier-Beaumont on the Belle-vue plantation, who taught him all about the study of horticulture and botany. In the late 1810s, Bellier-Beaumont received vanilla cuttings from Pierre-Henri Philibert, captain of the fluyt Rhône. Subsequently he was only able to keep one vine alive which, unfortunately, was unable to bear any fruit. Then, whilst walking through his gardens with the young Edmond in 1841, Bellier-Beaumont discovered two fruits on this solitary 20-year-old vine. To his astonishment, Edmond claimed that he had been able to fertilise the flower by hand. Initially, Bellier-Beaumont did not believe that this 12-year-old boy had achieved something that so many had failed to do before him. A few days later Bellier-Beaumont noticed more pods developing, and requested that Edmond show him his specific technique for hand pollination. Bellier-Beaumont realised the technique was similar to his own method for hand pollinating watermelon plants, which he had shown Edmond previously.
Writing to Sainte-Suzanne’s Justice of the Peace, Monsieur Ganne, in 1861, Bellier-Beaumont stated:
"In this plant [watermelon], the male and female flowers occur on different plants, and I taught the little black boy, Edmond, how to marry the male and female parts together… This clever boy had realized that the vanilla flower also had male and female elements, and worked out for himself how to join them together."
Within days other planters made their way to Belle-vue to see Edmond’s technique. The young Edmond was transported around Réunion to demonstrate his technique to slaves on other plantations. After Edmond’s discovery, vanilla production on the island boomed. In 1858, Réunion was able to transport 2 tonnes of vanilla beans back to France; by 1867 this had increased to 20 tonnes and by 1898, 200 tonnes. By the late 19th century, Réunion was outstripping Mexico as the world’s largest producer.
So what happened to Edmond? You could be forgiven for thinking that his role in the success of this highly profitable industry would result in a happy ending, but sadly this was not the case. Though the French Republic had first abolished slavery in 1794, this had been revoked by Napoleon in 1802. April 1848 saw France re-abolish slavery in its colonies; it was around this time that Edmond was freed and given the surname Albius. Bellier-Beaumont tried to secure him a state pension for his services to the vanilla industry, but his appeals fell on deaf ears.
According to Arditti et al (2009), there was still controversy as late as the early 20th century where questions were raised as to whether Edmond, an uneducated slave, could have come up with the method. Through thorough analysis, Arditti et al (2009) later come to the conclusion that:
"There is absolutely no reason to believe that Albius could not have figured out all by himself how to pollinate the flowers. And, since Ecott’s [Ecott, 2004] search through the archives certainly seems to have been thorough his report should be accepted as definitive. If so there can be very little doubt that Albius discovered the pollination process on his own."
In 2017, Madagascar produced 40% of the world’s vanilla, while Mexico, where Vanilla planifolia originates from produced about 6%.
While Edmond probably wasn’t the first to come up with the hand pollination technique (it is evident that there have been several independent discoveries), he must be credited for essentially providing the key for the vanilla industry not just in Réunion, but in other French colonies and islands like Madagascar—currently the main global exporter of vanilla.
Bellier-Beaumont takes his island to task over Edmond’s treatment in this final remark:
"It owes him a debt, for starting up a new industry with a fabulous product."
https://www.linnean.org/news/2019/10/16/edmond-albius
The story of vanilla, as with most truly international crops, criss-crosses a world atlas. But vanilla did not originate in Madagascar, despite the country's current global dominance of its trade. Instead, it started in the jungles of Mexico and Central America, where a long, windy vine evolved to develop that distinctive, penetrating aroma that we all know so well.
What is perhaps most compelling about vanilla is the fact that its multi-billion dollar industry exists because of a 12-year-old enslaved boy who lived 180 years ago on a remote Indian Ocean Island. But the orchid, whose pod-shaped fruits contain the sweet vanilla essence, would take a wild journey to get there from Mexico, where the Totonac Indigenous people, who settled around 600 CE on Mexico's Atlantic coast, first noticed the scent.
https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20240118-the-little-known-truth-about-vanilla
Vanilla planifolia
Painting of Vanilla planifolia by John Tyley fromAlexander Anderson's Hortus Sti. Vincentii Tabulae
The flavour we know and love so well comes from the fruit (seed pods) of the vanilla orchid. (The word ‘vanilla’ itself actually means ‘little pod’; it is derived from the Spanish word ‘vainillia’—a diminutive of ‘vaina’—which means ‘sheath’ or ‘pod’.) The most widely known vanilla orchid, and the only one cultivated for vanilla production, is the flat-leaved vanilla plant (Vanilla planifolia), native to Mexico. Spanish explorer Hernán Cortés (1485–1547) is credited with bringing the delectable spice to the Old World in the 16th century, but at that time it was only really seen as a way of ‘flavouring’ chocolate. As soon as it made its way to the households of the elite, in foods like ice cream, as a miracle drug and as an aphrodisiac, demand for the spice increased. However, there was a problem; very few plants outside of Mexico would bear fruit.
Edmond was born into slavery in 1829, in Sainte-Suzanne on the island of Bourbon (modern-day Réunion). His mother, Melise, died in childbirth and he never knew his father, Pamphile. At an early age he was sent by his master to work with Ferréol Bellier-Beaumont on the Belle-vue plantation, who taught him all about the study of horticulture and botany. In the late 1810s, Bellier-Beaumont received vanilla cuttings from Pierre-Henri Philibert, captain of the fluyt Rhône. Subsequently he was only able to keep one vine alive which, unfortunately, was unable to bear any fruit. Then, whilst walking through his gardens with the young Edmond in 1841, Bellier-Beaumont discovered two fruits on this solitary 20-year-old vine. To his astonishment, Edmond claimed that he had been able to fertilise the flower by hand. Initially, Bellier-Beaumont did not believe that this 12-year-old boy had achieved something that so many had failed to do before him. A few days later Bellier-Beaumont noticed more pods developing, and requested that Edmond show him his specific technique for hand pollination. Bellier-Beaumont realised the technique was similar to his own method for hand pollinating watermelon plants, which he had shown Edmond previously.
Writing to Sainte-Suzanne’s Justice of the Peace, Monsieur Ganne, in 1861, Bellier-Beaumont stated:
"In this plant [watermelon], the male and female flowers occur on different plants, and I taught the little black boy, Edmond, how to marry the male and female parts together… This clever boy had realized that the vanilla flower also had male and female elements, and worked out for himself how to join them together."
Within days other planters made their way to Belle-vue to see Edmond’s technique. The young Edmond was transported around Réunion to demonstrate his technique to slaves on other plantations. After Edmond’s discovery, vanilla production on the island boomed. In 1858, Réunion was able to transport 2 tonnes of vanilla beans back to France; by 1867 this had increased to 20 tonnes and by 1898, 200 tonnes. By the late 19th century, Réunion was outstripping Mexico as the world’s largest producer.
So what happened to Edmond? You could be forgiven for thinking that his role in the success of this highly profitable industry would result in a happy ending, but sadly this was not the case. Though the French Republic had first abolished slavery in 1794, this had been revoked by Napoleon in 1802. April 1848 saw France re-abolish slavery in its colonies; it was around this time that Edmond was freed and given the surname Albius. Bellier-Beaumont tried to secure him a state pension for his services to the vanilla industry, but his appeals fell on deaf ears.
According to Arditti et al (2009), there was still controversy as late as the early 20th century where questions were raised as to whether Edmond, an uneducated slave, could have come up with the method. Through thorough analysis, Arditti et al (2009) later come to the conclusion that:
"There is absolutely no reason to believe that Albius could not have figured out all by himself how to pollinate the flowers. And, since Ecott’s [Ecott, 2004] search through the archives certainly seems to have been thorough his report should be accepted as definitive. If so there can be very little doubt that Albius discovered the pollination process on his own."
In 2017, Madagascar produced 40% of the world’s vanilla, while Mexico, where Vanilla planifolia originates from produced about 6%.
While Edmond probably wasn’t the first to come up with the hand pollination technique (it is evident that there have been several independent discoveries), he must be credited for essentially providing the key for the vanilla industry not just in Réunion, but in other French colonies and islands like Madagascar—currently the main global exporter of vanilla.
Bellier-Beaumont takes his island to task over Edmond’s treatment in this final remark:
"It owes him a debt, for starting up a new industry with a fabulous product."
https://www.linnean.org/news/2019/10/16/edmond-albius
The story of vanilla, as with most truly international crops, criss-crosses a world atlas. But vanilla did not originate in Madagascar, despite the country's current global dominance of its trade. Instead, it started in the jungles of Mexico and Central America, where a long, windy vine evolved to develop that distinctive, penetrating aroma that we all know so well.
What is perhaps most compelling about vanilla is the fact that its multi-billion dollar industry exists because of a 12-year-old enslaved boy who lived 180 years ago on a remote Indian Ocean Island. But the orchid, whose pod-shaped fruits contain the sweet vanilla essence, would take a wild journey to get there from Mexico, where the Totonac Indigenous people, who settled around 600 CE on Mexico's Atlantic coast, first noticed the scent.
https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20240118-the-little-known-truth-about-vanilla
