Book description
The story of our love affair with vanilla - the world's most
versatile flavouring.
The locations read like the contents of an exotic holiday brochure:
Tahiti, Madagascar, Reunion, Seychelles and the Gulf Coast of Mexico -
all of them inextricably linked with the story of vanilla.
Vanilla is a botanical mystery - a uniquely sensual plant who's
secret was unlocked by an African slave in 1841. Aristocrats,
apothecaries and modern day tycoons have all chased 'The Luscious
Substance' - and the wealth it brings. Endangered in the wild, vanilla
is now more valuable than at any time in history - a value that places
it at the centre of a secretive multimillion dollar trade for which
men are being murdered.
Journalist Tim Ecott has sought out vanilla's rich history and in
doing so has brought to life these faraway, fascinating, misunderstood
places, unravelling the complex politics around vanilla growing,
curing, and selling. Confirming the promise of his debut, Neutral
Buoyancy, this is travel writing of the highest order.
'Fascinating, appealing and forthright. Ecott has hit the
jackpot'
Independent
Tim Ecott is the author of the hugely successful
Neutral Buoyancy
. He joined the BBC World Service as a producer and correspondent in
news and current affairs. A specialist on Southern Africa and the Indian
Ocean he spent two years based in the Seychelles where he developed a
parallel career as a dive leader. He lives in Richmond, London.
