Vanilla
Ginger, with its tall leafy stems up to 1.2 m (4 ft) high, somewhat resembles a reed. The flower stems are about 25 cm (10 in) tall.
The zygomorphic flowers of ginger have only one stamen, the other two being modified into a strikingly coloured lip. The pungently aromatic rootstock has been much in demand as a spice from the far distant past to the present day.
This perennial plant, native to tropical Asia, was known in ancient China and India and is referred to in Sanskrit as `sringavere’. Ginger was shipped from its original home to southern Europe by Arabian merchants before the Christian era. It occurs frequently on the pages of the 3rd-century Roman cookbook ‘De re coquinaria’ written by Apicius Caelius.
First of all they are scalded briefly with hot water and then submitted to the lengthy process of wilting and drying, during which they turn a dark colour and acquire their characteristic aroma. Good quality vanilla is supple and small crystals of fragrant vanillin are visible on the surface. Vanilla must be stored in an air-tight wrapper or container to preserve its aroma.
It is presumed that the original grape vine growing in the forests of Caucasia was a dioccious plant. The evolution of the present-day varieties traces its beginnings to the late Stone Age, when man learned to till land and began cultivating the grape vine. Long-term breeding and selection has produced a great many varieties differing not only in the colour, size and shape of the fruit, but also in flavour and aroma.
Nowadays, synthetically produced vanillin is often used instead of vanilla; it is cheaper and more convenient. The aroma of genuine vanilla, however, cannot be matched because it is the result of the natural balance of vanillin and small quantities of other aromatic components contained in the pods.
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