University of Wageningen researcher Filip van Noort and vanilla grower Joris Elstgeest inspect vanilla orchids, part of four years of ground-breaking research (AFP Photo/Maude Brulard) |
Bleiswijk
(Netherlands) (AFP) - Flowers more exotic than the humble tulip will soon
flourish for the first time in Dutch greenhouses after intensive research into
growing the capricious vanilla orchid to harvest one of the world's most
expensive spices.
In the
middle of potato fields in a central Dutch rural town, scientists from
Wageningen University have for the past four years been nurturing vanilla orchids.
And their research has been deemed a success.
"Based
on our information, businesses believe vanilla is a plant with a lot of
potential for Dutch greenhouses and have decided to start growing it,"
said researcher Filip van Noort.
How many
orchids will be planted will be decided at the start of the next growing season
in the spring, and it will take at least three years before the first
Dutch-grown vanilla hits the market.
In
Bleiswijk, home to the ground-breaking research, vines from about 100 plants
stretch metres high in hot, tropical greenhouses. Hidden under fleshy,
oval-shaped leaves are the buds, that will eventually become the vanilla pods
so prised by chefs the world over.
"The
challenge is to ensure the plants blossom and then to be able to pollinate them
in a cost-effective way," said van Noort.
Cultivation
of the vanilla orchid is hugely labour intensive as the orchid's flowers
only
last one day and must be pollinated by hand if they are to produce fruit
(AFP
Photo/Maude Brulard)
|
Black
gold
Cultivation
is hugely labour intensive. The orchid's flowers only last one day and must be
pollinated by hand if they are to produce fruit. So it was an apt challenge for
the Dutch -- renowned for their green fingers and their expertise in greenhouse
cultivation.
"A few
years ago we were looking for new plants which could be grown in Dutch
greenhouses," explained van Noort.
The aim was
to increase the variety of crops grown by Dutch farmers as they search for
improved profits.
Vanilla
made sense. Currently the Indian Ocean island of Madagascar holds a
quasi-monopoly over world supply producing some 80 percent of global vanilla
bean stocks.
It is also
the world's second most expensive spice, with prices climbing to 350 euros
($380) a kilo this month -- compared with 60 euros in 2014.
"In
the past the price was too low to be interesting. But today, with demand
increasing, the prices are rising," said orchid expert Joris Elstgeest.
The long,
black vanilla pods, with their distinctive caramel and at times woody scent,
have to be collected by hand from the vines and then dried before being sold.
It is the
sticky tiny black seeds scraped from inside the pods which are a baker's
delight, lending an almost intoxicating flavour to everything from cakes and
ice-cream.
The long,
black vanilla pods, with their distinctive caramel and at times woody scent,
have to be collected by hand from the vines and then dried before being sold
(AFP Photo/Maude Brulard)
|
All
organic
Originating
from Mexico, the vanilla orchid was brought to Europe by Spanish explorer
Christopher Columbus. But all attempts to grow it in milder climates failed for
lack of the type of bee which pollinated the flowers.
It was not
until 1841 that someone on the island of Reunion figured out how to pollinate
the flowers one-by-one.
That method
finally paved the way towards large-scale production, with Madagascar proving
the most effective of growers.
But even if
prices fall and as other countries explore possible vanilla crops, Dutch
growers believe it will prove a good investment.
In past
decades, synthetic vanilla flavourings were increasingly adopted by the food
industry. But with a return to all things authentic and organic, the real stuff
is making a welcome return.
Bleiswijk
vanilla is wholly organic, say its Dutch growers, unlike in Madagascar, they
claim.
Vanilla is
also the world's second most expensive spice, with prices climbing
to 350 euros
($380) a kilo this month -- compared with 60 euros in 2014
(AFP Photo/Maude
Brulard)
|
Half of
Madagascar's vanilla is exported to Europe, and a third to the United States.
But clients say the quality has been slipping, with producers harvesting the
pods before they reach maturity to cash in on the price boom.
Some
Madagascans even speculate the vanilla industry is being used as a front for
the illegal trade in rosewood –- a sought-after product in China.
The Dutch
consortium behind the project says it has already received lots of interest
from local high-end restaurants as well as food companies.
The
Netherlands is a global leader in the art of greenhouse growing with almost
10,000 hectares of this lowlands country set with rows of glasshouses growing
all kinds of flowers, fruits and vegetables -- compared to just 1,900 hectares
in France.
And
researchers are already setting their sights on other spices.
"We've
also got black pepper, which seems to be adapting well," said van Noort,
adding indigo used to dye blue jeans was another project.
And perhaps
saffron -- the world's most expensive spice derived from the saffron crocus --
could be next to flourish here.
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