Vanilla was originally used as an additive in chocolate rather than as a standalone flavor.

A delicious flavor used to be made from a beaver’s butt

Love vanilla-flavored foods? Well, it was once made from castoreum - a yellowish exudate from the castor sacs of mature beavers. And the FDA regards castoreum as “natural flavoring."

97% of Americans polled say they like or love ice cream

George Washington loved to serve ice cream while hosting guests, and spent thousands of dollars on ice cream in a single summer.

American farmers—including George Washington—experimented with coffee farming

Two coffee plants—an arabica strand and a Kentucky Coffee Tree—continue to grow at Mount Vernon, Washington's iconic Virginia home. The Marquis de Lafayette requested the agrarian commander send him some beans in France.

America's ice cream obsession began under Prohibition, with the street treat acting as a legal vice that helped ease the pain of the Great Depression.

Agnes Marshall invented 'ices,' the Victorian equivalent of ice cream, and improved the period's hygienic practices for consuming the dessert.

In the 19th century, ice-cream-related illnesses were somewhat regular in America thanks to vendors' poor hygienic practices.

Ice cream can be traced back to a frozen milk dish from the 7th century.

The ancient Romans invented the first known artificial sweetener—it involved lead. (Paywall may apply.)

European colonization contributed to coffee's spread

European colonization created channels for large-scale coffee exports with workforces based in Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean. Trade routes throughout the Middle East and the rest of the world carried the drink to new shores and changed the agricultural and economic landscapes of the countries in the Bean Belt.

Learn about the violent history of the nutmeg industry

From the 1600s to the 1860s, the Dutch East India Company enslaved thousands of people on the Banda Islands, the world's only nutmeg source, forcing them to work on plantations under a system unlike anything seen in the Caribbean or American South.

In 1694, a Sicilian in Paris opened the first gelateria, a precursor to the ice cream parlor.

Explore a visualization of the data behind Ben & Jerry's legendary ice cream flavors.

There's no definitive reason why an ice cream sundae is spelled with an 'e' rather than a 'y.'

The first-ever IPO was issued by the Dutch East India Co., a spice company.

It first offered shares to the public in the 1600s on the Amsterdam Stock Exchange to help finance its passages. The Dutch East India Co. succeeded in part due to its monopolistic hold over the East Indies at the time.

Our love of chocolate may have more to do with how it ferments than previously realized—with specific microbes associated with more fruity or acetic tastes.

Tasty vegan ice cream depends on fat

Making delicious ice cream without dairy is a challenge for food scientists because most nondairy milks have more water than fat, which creates tasteless ice crystals when frozen. The key is finding a base with enough fat to give the finished product its signature creamy mouthfeel.

James Hemings, Jefferson's cook, popularized mac and cheese in the US

The statesman sent Hemings to France to sharpen his culinary skills where he picked up recipes of baked pasta with cheese and butter. The recipe Hemings likely dictated to Jefferson was later used in an 1802 White House dinner, the first major public dinner in the US to include the dish.

Spanish conquistadors encountered barbecue in the 16th century and called it 'barbacoa.'

After the Boston Tea Party, colonists switched to coffee, which became the main morning drink for revolutionaries.

After the Boston Tea Party (1773), colonists boycotted tea and turned to coffee, with coffeehouses becoming hubs for revolutionary discussions. The stimulating import from the Caribbean helped shape the nascent American taste.

Morphine, heroin, codeine, and more were derived from opium

Opium reached the US at about the time early colonists were itching for ways to soothe aches and pains. The active ingredient in the substance was isolated in the early 19th century, eventually leading to the manufacture and commercial sale of morphine, heroin, and other opium-based drugs.

How five of the world's most expensive salt and spices are made

Part of the charm of certain spices and salts is their exotic origin, hailing from difficult-to-access locales or hewn via special processes. That also explains why they can be so expensive. Dive into the businesses of producing and marketing five of the world's most expensive food additives with this engaging video.

The Mister Softee ice cream truck began with two brothers in a Chevy van in Philadelphia, selling green ice cream.

Cultivate your coffee taste with this interactive flavor wheel

Coffee is one of the more complex things humans consume, and taste can vary drastically based on bean genetics, roasting technique, and more. Using this flavor wheel, you can more accurately describe your coffee's aroma by starting from the center and moving outward.

Kulfi, an ice cream predecessor that's still popular in India, dates back to the 16th century.