Vanilla is anything but ordinary: Here are 5 unexpected products that contain this spice

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Vanilla got a bad rap somewhere along the way. It became a synonym for plain, bland or ordinary.

Yet vanilla may be the world's most exotic spice and most alluring scent. 

That means it's also expensive. Vanilla currently costs around $300 per pound. And, like every other food, vanilla prices have skyrocketed in recent years and months. 

Among spices, only scintillating saffron routinely costs more, industry experts say.

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"It's literally the most popular flavor and fragrance in the world, and it’s a multimillion-dollar industry," University of Wisconsin botany professor and vanilla expert Ken Cameron said recently to On Wisconsin, the UW-Madison alumni magazine.

Vanilla is anything but ordinary. It's actually extraordinary. 

Vanilla's wonderfully flavorful and aromatic pods are harvested from spectacular orchids. Vanilla orchids grow only in tropical jungles — and are the only orchids cultivated for food. 

Africa, Madagascar, Andapa, vanilla cultivation, cultivation and preparation of vanilla require, for a richly aromatic spice, long and attentive care. This is based on the weight, one of the most expensive agricultural products in the world. It comes in the form of shiny black sticks, commonly called "glove vanilla." (Michel RENAUDEAU/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images)

Vanilla is native to Central America and was enjoyed by Mesoamerican cultures. It was brought to Europe with cacao by Spanish explorers following Columbian exploration. 

Vanilla is derived from the Spanish word for little pod. "The first people to have cultivated it seem to have been the Totonacs of Mexico’s east coast," reported National Geographic. 

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"The Aztecs acquired vanilla when they conquered the Totonacs in the 15th century; the Spanish, in turn, got it when they conquered the Aztecs."

Madagascar, a large island nation in the Indian Ocean, grows most of the world's vanilla today. Madagascar is located 1,300 miles from Africa, the nearest land mass, and is home to some of the world's most exotic animals. 

Nielsen-Massey Madagascar Bourbon pure vanilla extract from Williams-Sonoma is shown in this image. (William-Sonoma.com)

No surprise, then, it's the chief supplier of the world's most exotic spice.

"It has this allure to it," Cameron said in the UW article. "When you smell one of those beans, your eyes just roll back in your head. It’s so divine."

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Vanilla flavors a surprising number of things beyond just ice cream and milkshakes. 

Strawberry, vanilla and chocolate ice cream waffle cones are shown here. (iStock)

Here are five unexpected products that are "flavored" with vanilla.

Perfume and cologne

"Vanilla’s reputation as a powerful aphrodisiac endures, and it’s often present in ‘sexy’, come-hither fragrances," reports The Perfume Society, while noting that most vanilla used in the industry today is synthetic. 

History of exploration, 19th century — the island of St. Catherine, Brazil — with a vanilla orchid shown here. Drawing by Lejeune; from Duperrey's voyage around the world in the corvette la Coquille, circa 1822.  (DEA/G. DAGLI ORTI/De Agostini via Getty Images)

Coca-Cola

"Coca-Cola contains vanilla," Cameron said. 

"They market different recipes of Coca-Cola around the world for different cultural palates."

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Puget Sound

Yes, an entire body of water. University of Washington researchers discovered in 2006 that the flavor of vanilla and other holiday spices could be detected in the ocean surrounding Seattle around Thanksgiving.

Cocktails

Vanilla is enjoying a moment of celebrity in the contemporary cocktail world.

Celebrated Pittsburgh mixologist Cat Cannon counts among her favorite creations the Sankofa, a blend of Maker's Mark bourbon and vanilla-infused Angostura bitters. 

Homemade air fresheners

Spruce up your home by placing a couple drops of vanilla extract on a light bulb, suggested Reader's Digest recently. 

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"Your house will be filled with the appealing scent of baked goods in the oven," the publication noted, adding that it's an old trick used by real estate professionals.