The Totonacs of Veracruz, Mexico were the first known people to cultivate vanilla. By the 1400s, the Aztecs were using it to sweeten chocolate. After Spanish explorer Hernán Cortés brought the pods ...

Melissa Kravitz Hoeffner has spent over a decade working as a writer in New York City. She currently covers all aspects of food, dining, travel and lifestyle trends and the intersection of culture, ...

Pure, homemade extracts are easy to make and add better flavor to your cooking and baking. These simple instructions can be used to make any extract flavor using quality ingredients—no fillers, ...

The flavor extracted from vanilla bean pods can have the nuance of wine or coffee, says Wears Market Vanilla co-founder Ty Wears. Like other terroir-influenced items, location matters for vanilla, ...