Natural vanilla extract comes from the pods of a specific type of orchid.
Why it is true
The Vanilla planifolia orchid produces pods that, after a long curing and fermentation process, release the complex aromatic compounds we associate with vanilla flavour.
Source: Botanical Review
Would you rather be asked first?
This is the reading side of the site, so the answer is in the sentence above — that is the whole point of it. Test yourself works the other way round: the question comes on its own, and the fact and the explanation only appear once you have answered.