Where does vanilla come from?

The Totonac people of Mexico's Gulf Coast were among the first to cultivate vanilla, and the Aztecs used it to flavour chocolate drinks. Spanish explorers brought vanilla to Europe in the 16th century. Outside Mexico, the plants produced no pods because their natural pollinators were missing, until 1841, when 12-year-old Edmond Albius on Réunion discovered a quick way to hand-pollinate the flowers. Madagascar now produces roughly 80 percent of the world's natural vanilla. Because each flower must be pollinated by hand, vanilla is the world's second most expensive spice after saffron.