Vanilla is a legacy of Mexico and, like chocolate, it is a major global delicacy representing almost a half-billion euros in profits each year. Vanilla presents up-to-date reviews on the cultivation, curing, and uses of vanilla. It provides unique and comprehensive coverage of the biology of the vanilla vine, the properties of its aromatic beans, and production processes worldwide. This globally relevant resource discusses biotechnology aimed at finding novel production methods of vanilla and horticultural studies for improving yields and increasing plant resistance. It analyzes entomological issues related to pollination, studies on the chemistry and biochemistry of the curing process, and the advanced analytical chemistry needed to identify adulterations such as vanillin-spiked pods and synthetic vanillin. It also explores the relationship between fruit development anatomy and flavor quality. Vanilla is a universally appreciated flavor that is consumed worldwide. Contents: Vanilloid orchids: Systematics and evolution (Kenneth M. Cameron). Evolutionary processes and diversification in the genus Vanilla (Séverine Bory, Spencer Brown, Marie-France Duval, Pascale Besse). Conservation and movement of Vanilla germplasm (Michel Roux-Cuvelier, Michel Grisoni). Vanilla in herbaria (Marc Pignal). Biotechnological applications in Vanilla (Minoo Divakaran, K. Nirmal Babu, Michel Grisoni). Cultivation systems (Juan Hernández Hernández, Pesach Lubinsky). Virus diseases of vanilla (Michel Grisoni, Michael Pearson, Karin Farreyrol). Fungal diseases of vanilla (Mesak Tombe, Edward C.Y. Liew). Bio-ecology and control of an emerging vanilla pest, the scale Conchaspis angraeci (Serge Quilici, Agathe Richard, Kenny Le Roux). Anatomy and biochemistry of vanilla bean development (Vanilla planifolia G. Jackson) (Fabienne Lapeyre-Montes, Geneviève Conéjéro,Jean-Luc Verdeil, Eric Odoux). Vanilla curing (Eric Odoux). Developing the aromatic quality of cured vanilla beans (Eric Odoux). Morphological, chemical, sensory, and genetic specificities of Tahitian vanilla (Sandra Lepers-Andrzejewski, Christel Brunschwig,François-Xavier Collard, Michel Dron). Microbial safety of cured vanilla beans (Samira Sarter). Authentication of vanilla products (Jens-Michael Hilmer, Franz-Josef Hammerschmidt, Gerd Lösing). Vanilla use in colonial Mexico and traditional Totonac (Patricia Rain, Pesach Lubinsky). Vanilla's debt to Reunion Island (Raoul Lucas). Recognizing the quality and origin of vanilla from Reunion Island: creating a PGI "Vanille de L'île de la Réunion" (Bertrand Côme). Vanilla production in Indonesia (Robber Zaubin, Mesak Tombe, Edward C.Y. Liew). Vanilla production in India (Y.R. Sarma, Joseph Thomas, B. Sasikumar, S. Varadarasan). Vanilla production in East Africa: Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya, and Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (Clemens Fehr). Vanilla production in Mexico (Juan Hernández Hernández, Pesach Lubinsky). Vanilla production in China (Hengcang Zhou, Yunyue Wang, Hongyu Wang, Xurui, Dexin Chen). Vanilla production in French Polynesia (Sandra Lepers-Andrzejewski, Michel Dron). (Adapted from the publisher's summary)