The plant blooms three years after the cuttings are planted and the yellow greenish fruits many have up to 90,000 seeds, taking five to seven months to mature. Vanilla was brought to Europe by the Spanish conquerors of the New World. They found it in Mexico, when Montezuma, the last Aztec Emperor, offered them a drink made of chocolate, vanilla, red pepper and honey. All plants grown in these areas were fruitless, but no one knew exactly why. Later, people realised that this was due to the absence of pollination, because there were no insects or hummingbirds to do it rightfully.
Commercial vanilla is obtained after special processing of the fruits.
First they are put in hot water and then dried to allow fermentation to occur. In Madagascar, the world's largest producer of vanilla, the fruits are sundried and wrapped in blankets at night to remain warm. This is a long process that takes months and increases the cost of the product. If they are harvested before the proper time they are poor in aromatic compounds and if the harvesting is made too late, they will initiate the dehiscence process, with a great loss in market prices. After all these long lasting processes, small crystals of vanillin, the most valuable compound of the fruit, naturally cover the fruit.