with something? so she has to cut the tip off. exactmente. wow. very labor intensive. and that s just the tip of the vanilla bean. wait until you hear what it takes to create it in the first place. this is a vanilla plantation. is it just this one? native to the north of veracruz, the vanilla plant was originally only pollinated by bee, until it was discovered you could do the same job by hand. i never knew they were vines. yes. i thought it was a bush or a plant. no. vanilla comes from the seed pods of a hermaphrodite orchid. the flower has to be pollinated in a single window of a few hours or it will die. now get ready for a bit of biology. the vanilla plant is like a woman. if you want to pollinate, you
- around 400 years ago, a spanish nobleman set sail for the new world. his name lorenzo longoria. around 400 years ago, a spanish nobleman set sail for the new world. his name, lorenzo longoria. my an southeast sore s arrival changed history, creating modern mexico and a gateway between it and the rest of the world. this is the cradle of mexico. everything started here. it s also the cradle of mexican gastronomy because all ingredients landed in this spot. and all the ingredients in mexico left from here, chocolate, vanilla, the tomato. can you imagine italian cuisine without the tomato, or french pastry without chocolate and vanilla? impossible. the people of veracruz took this treasure trove of ingredients passing in and out of the port and created a whole new cuisine.
in the mountains? in the mountains. i m definitely going to go see the coffee fields. that s my top of my list. well, you don t need to tell me twice. this is so beautiful. after coffee arrived here, veracruzanos took it inland to cultivate it, where it flourished, before exporting it back to the rest of the world. this landscape is amazing. i don t feel like i m in mexico. i feel like i m in an amazon rain forest. today veracruz produces around a quarter of mexico s coffee, which thrives in the shade and altitude in mountain areas. the cooler temperatures up here slow the growth of the beans, making them sweeter and more dense. and the denser the bean, the better the flavor. hola. hola. hi, eva. how are you?
quarter of a million enslaved africans that were brought to veracruz. these african cultural influences surviving two centuries of the slave trade blended with those of the indigenous people, as well as the spanish, like my ancestor, lorenzo longoria. and today, neighborhoods around the port reflect this unique mix of cultures. hola. hola, eva. que gusto! welcome to veracruz. i m meeting with a guide who has written a book on local cuisine, and she is my guide.
[ speaking non-english ] wow. i m eva longoria, born and bred in texas by as diverse as its 32 states. i m exploring mexico to see how their lands and their past has shaped a culinary position as their 32 states. the port s strategic position saw veracruzans fight off repeated invasions right into the 20th century. but this history of conflict from indigenous power struggles to african slavery created a cultural big bang. soy india. soy veracruz. with a legacy of strong flavors, pioneered by strong women. every time that i blink, my mind was like, yes, i m going to try. i will. veracruzanos are famous for their defiant spirit.