Region

Réunion

In 1841, a twelve-year-old child discovered how to fertilise the vanilla flower. The technique has not changed since.

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On the island, vanilla was merely an ornamental plant: the melipona bee that pollinates it in its native Mexico does not live there. Edmond Albius, an enslaved apprentice gardener in Sainte-Suzanne, discovered that by lifting the thin membrane separating the flower's organs with a sharp point, then pressing them together with his thumb, a pod is produced. This technique — still known as the marriage of vanilla — is practised in exactly the same way across the world today.

The rest is down to the topography: an active volcano, steep-sided cirques, and microclimates ranging from the dry coast to the humid highlands. Sugarcane, lychee, Victoria pineapple, turmeric and geranium are grown there; and Creole cuisine blends Malagasy, Indian, Chinese and European heritages.

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Events

What happens on a set date — you can go.

  • Celebration Fête de l'Ananas Le Tampon (Bérive) · La Réunion every year in November, since 2008
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