Vanilla is native to Mexico and Central America, but following its introduction to other countries, it is also grown in Madagascar, Réunion, India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia and Tahiti. In Mexico, vanilla pods are formed by native bees that pollinate them naturally, but everywhere else, each flower is pollinated by hand before the fruit is formed. This hand pollination consists of bringing the pistil into contact with the pollen from the stamens, which are separated by a tab to prevent pollination. Without this meticulous operation, the flower withers, falls and does not produce vanilla, the fruit of the orchid. Strange as it may seem, vanilla is produced in this way by the vanilla plant, a tropical orchid with yellow-green flowers that looks like a vine and generally attaches itself to a plant support. From Malabar? Cherished daily like a treasure perched on a single tree, the wild Yaksha vanilla communicates with another orchid, which is not pollinated to maintain a natural balance. Once harvested, the pods are quickly immersed in very hot water, then steamed in a wooden box, before being dried daily in the sun for 1 hour for 40 to 60 days, carefully stored between a cotton cloth.