Introduced to the old Bourbon island in the early 19th century, vanilla was only produced there from 1841 onwards, when a young slave with a knowledge of botany named Edmond Albius discovered the procedure for manual vanilla pollination, which is still used to this day. This precious spice, whose heyday came in the 1930s when the area supplied over three-quarters of the world's vanilla production, continues to delight the taste buds of sophisticated gourmets even now.
Derived from the Vanilla planifolia orchid, Bourbon vanilla is grown in a hot, humid climate in the lush forests on the island's east coast, between Sainte-Rose and Saint-Philippe. Open to the public, the Bras-Panon vanilla cooperative, created in 1968 and now representing around 120 producers, invites visitors on a guided tour of the workshops and garden every day. The various steps in the vanilla cultivation and preparation process, from planting to packaging, through the secrets of vanilla flower pollination, are some of the expressions of a unique set of skills that will be revealed to you on a forty-minute tour. At the end of the visit, you can find a range of vanilla-based food and cosmetic products as well as some lovely vanilla pods.
Favoured by connoisseurs and the great cooks and pastry chefs, Réunion vanilla is known for its refined and sweet taste. It is perfect for flavouring a fruitcake, tart, rice pudding, compote, fruit salad, custard or hot milk, but also for making a macerated rum, milkshake, sweet potato cake or savoury dish like the famous duck with vanilla…