Vanilla planifolia dermatitis in vanilla plantation workers. Vanilla planifolia Vanilla planifolia is a species of vanilla orchid. It is native to Mexico and Central America, and is one of the primary sources for vanilla flavouring, due to its high vanillin content. Common names are flat-leaved vanilla, Tahitian vanilla, and West Indian vanilla (also used for the Pompona vanilla, "V. pompona"). Often, it is simply referred to as "the vanilla". It was first scientifically named in 1808. "Vanilla planifolia" is found in Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, and northeastern South America. It prefers hot, wet, tropical climates. It is cultivated and harvested primarily
Mexican cuisine peninsula is distinct from the rest of the country. It is based primarily on Mayan food with influences from the Caribbean, Central Mexican, European (especially French) and Middle Eastern cultures. As in other areas of Mexico, corn is the basic staple, as both a liquid and a solid food. One common way of consuming corn, especially by the poor, is a thin drink or gruel of white corn called by such names as pozol or keyem. One of the main spices in the region is the annatto seed, called achiote in Spanish. It gives food a reddish color and a