Vanillin

One example of food flavor is Vanillin which has a soothing, pleasant aroma. Its molecular weight is relatively low, and it is fairly volatile. Cooking with vanilla vaporizes some of the vanillin molecules and fills the room with its aroma.

Molecules containing only carbon and hydrogen are mostly insoluble in water. The oxygen-containing groups attached to the ring in vanillin can form strong hydrogen bonds with water, making it water soluble (about a gram of vanillin can be dissolved in 100 mL of cold water).

Vanillin's solubility in water is responsible for the "finish" acquired by wines aged in oak casks. Vanilla present in the wood lignin of the wine barrels slowly leaches into the wine over time.
Vanillin