The first evidence of the use of vanilla has been discovered in a 3,600-year-old tomb in Israel, altering the historical record of the spice. Previously, scientists believed that vanilla originated in the 15th century in what is today Mexico. The vanillin compound was identified in three small jugs in a Bronze Age burial chamber first excavated in 2016 at Megiddo, located south-east of the Israeli city of Haifa. The bottles were part of food offerings found surrounding three complete skeletons adorned with jewelry. During the Bronze Age, Megiddo was an important Canaanite center of life and later became a royal city in the Kingdom of Israel. The Greek name for Megiddo is Armageddon, where the New Testament’s Book of Revelation claims there will be an end-of-times battle. At a cost of up to $200 per pound, Vanilla is considered the second-most expensive spice in the world after saffron.
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