Vanilla is a flavor derived from orchids of the genus Vanilla, primarily from the Mexican species, flat-leaved vanilla (V. planifolia).
Vanilla is a flavor derived from orchids of the genus Vanilla, primarily from the Mexican species, flat-leaved vanilla (V. planifolia). The word vanilla, derived from the diminutive of the Spanish word vaina (vaina itself meaning sheath or pod), translates simply as little pod. Part of the Computing fundamentals glossary: In information technology, vanilla (pronounced vah-NIHL-uh) is an adjective meaning plain or basic. The unfeatured version of a product is sometimes referred to as the vanilla version. The term is based on the fact that vanilla is the most popular or at least the most commonly served flavor of ice cream. Or, as Eric Raymond, editor of The New Hacker's Dictionary, puts it, the default Vanilla is the only fruit-bearing orchid out of the hundreds of orchid species. Vanilla has become a synonym for plain or boring, but this is utterly unfair to this exotic and finicky plant. Native to Central and South America, vanilla was treasured as both a foodstuff and as currency. Vanilla extract is the most common form of vanilla used today. Mexican, Tahitian, Indonesian and Bourbon vanilla are the main varieties. Bourbon vanilla does not contain bourbon -- it is named for the period when the island of Reunion was ruled by the Bourbon kings of France. Image Source via Getty Images. Vanilla is one of those powerful ingredients we use all the time, but probably take for granted. Whether it's vanilla extract in your chocolate chip cookies or scraped vanilla beans for custard or ice cream, vanilla is called for in all kinds of recipes. With so many uses and so many different types of vanilla -- from Bourbon to Mexican -- vanilla is an omnipresent ingredient whose value cannot be overstated.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanilla http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/vanilla http://www.thespicehouse.com/spices-by-category/vanilla http://www.food.com/about/vanilla-350 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/25/vanilla-comes-from_n_5021060.html
what is vanilla