Vanilla comes from an orchid, did you know?

From Planifolia or flat-leaved vanilla,

Grown in Tahiti, Madagascar and Mexico,

It came back in Cortes’s flotilla,

Vanilla is such an exquisite spice,

It requires precise cultivation,

It’s a taste of heaven, of paradise,

Of joy, of celebration.

The pods cluster together along the vine,

And hang like dwarf French beans,

At this stage the flavour is NOT divine,

It needs “curing”, to grace cuisines.

The ‘little pods’ are blanched, and fired and dried,

So its production is labour intensive,

This curing process is ‘classified’

So vanilla is very expensive.

Chef William Chaney, I’ve granted your wish,

With a poem about this spice,

I hope I’ve served up a digestible dish!

What’s next? Have you any advice?