If you’ve been on the internet in recent years, you might have seen the claim that artificial vanilla flavoring found in cookies or ice cream comes from goo secreted out of beaver behinds.

For example, McGorrin said real vanilla contains flavor volatiles ... and strawberry flavors come from castoreum, a chemical compound beavers release to mark their territory.

If you’re looking for vanilla at the grocery store, you’ll usually find two different options. Pure vanilla extract, the more expensive option made from real vanilla beans, and imitation ...

Castoreum is an anal secretion beavers use to mark their territories. It also happens to smell like vanilla ... Castoreum comes from the beaver 's castor sac, located between the pelvis and ...