Oldest Vanilla Pod in Europe Found in Prague - Archaeology Magazine

Oldest Vanilla Pod in Europe Found in Prague - Archaeology Magazine

Desiccated vanilla pod PRAGUE CASTLE, CZECH REPUBLIC—La Brújula Verde reports that excavations within Prague Castle yielded the oldest vanilla bean pod in Europe. Mesoamerican cultures such as the Maya and Aztecs had used vanilla for centuries, but the pods only came to the attention of Europeans after the Spanish conquest of Mexico in 1521. Chemical analysis confirmed the existence of a dried vanilla pod in a waste deposit in the castle's Vladi…