Chapter 21 · 1841

Réunion vanilla

In 1841, in Sainte-Suzanne, a twelve-year-old enslaved boy named Edmond Albius discovered the gesture that would revolutionise world vanilla production: hand-pollinating the vanilla flower. This technique, still used all over the world today, enabled Réunion to become the world's leading vanilla producer in the second half of the 19th century.