a substance from beaver glands near the anus, called castoreum, smells and tastes like vanilla and was historically used as a "natural flavoring," but it's extremely rare in modern food; today's vanilla (natural or artificial) comes from vanilla beans or synthetic vanillin, making beaver extract highly unlikely in your ice cream or cookies. Here's the breakdown:What it is: Castoreum is a brownish, gooey secretion from a beaver's castor sacs, used to mark territory and smelling sweet and musky, like vanilla.Historical Use: In the past, it was used in some food products for its vanilla-like scent and flavor, especially before synthetic vanillin was common.Why it's rare now: It's incredibly expensive and difficult to harvest (requiring anesthetizing the beaver), so only tiny amounts are produced annually, mostly for perfumes.Modern Vanilla:Artificial: Made from lab-synthesized vanillin, often from wood pulp.Natural: Comes from vanilla beans.The Verdict: While theoretically possible as a "natural flavoring," it's so rare and costly that you can assume your vanilla products are beaver-free, say experts. the more you know Beloud