[Sca-cooks] the Melipone bee, vanilla

[Stefan li Rous]

Ber commented:
<<< Linnaeus and his attempt to grow vanilla is immaterial to the early dating 
of vanilla in Sweden as he is 18th Century.   He failed because natural 
pollination of vanilla is by the Melipone bee which is only found in Mexico. >>>

Did/does this bee produce honey?

I think we've discussed that honeybees were an European import to the New World, and I classify honey as an Old World food when I run the NW/OW game.

Os this bee also subject to a die-off as other bees currently are?

Do we have any other period recipes that use vanilla, other than this recipe for cocoa?

Thanks,
  Stefan

--------
THLord Stefan li Rous    Barony of Bryn Gwlad    Kingdom of Ansteorra
   Mark S. Harris           Austin, Texas          StefanliRous at austin.rr.com
http://www.linkedin.com/in/marksharris
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