Atlas Obscura - Curious and Wondrous Travel Destinations
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Gastro Obscura
Covering the world's most wondrous food and drink.
This sandwich cake comes with prawns, egg, caviar, and cucumber.
Prepared Foods

Smörgåstårta

Meet Sweden's savory “sandwich cake.”
Mature petai beans.
Ingredients & Condiments

Stink Beans

These Southeast Asian legumes are famed for their lasting funk and deliciously nutty flavor.
Tools

Port Tongs

Sabering champagne doesn’t hold a candle to this method of cracking opening wine bottles with red-hot iron.
Tools

Butter Lamps

In Tibetan temples, yak butter burns day and night.
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Upcoming Events
Skyscrapers on the river's edge stand upon some of Chicago's earliest history.
Oct 5
Chicago, Illinois

The Hunt for Disaster

A scavenger hunt to find the locations of Chicago's worst downtown disasters.
Oct 6
Los Angeles, California

Two Bit Circus Bemusement Park Tour

Amuse yourself at a technological micro-amusement park complete with re-invented, old-school carnival games and epic gaming technology.
Oct 6
Columbia City, Washington

Studio Tour: Bespoke Shoemaking

Visit industrial designer and shoemaker Michael Barakat in his studio to learn about the art of shoemaking.
Oct 6
Denver, Colorado

Cleaning Up The Crime Scene

Discover what happens to a crime scene after the police and forensic team leave.
Oct 7
Morrison, Colorado

Mount Lindo Cemetery Tour

The country's largest illuminated cross is a lightning-rod (pun intended) for controversy.
Lulu Fellows, whose acting career is only now being rediscovered.
Oct 7
Chicago, Illinois

Rosehill Cemetery Walk

Take a stroll through history in Chicago's largest cemetery.
In the 50s and 60s, reporters – and spies – smoked cigars, drank whiskey and played poker at the National Press Club.
Oct 9
Washington, D.C., District of Columbia

Spies Among Us

Follow in the footsteps of secret agents who hid in plain sight.
Architecture of Mysterious Chicago.
Oct 10
Chicago, Illinois

Architecture of Mysterious Chicago

Author of Mysterious Chicago Adam Selzer highlights the histories and unsolved mysteries of the city's landmarks.
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More Stories
story
turtles

96 Rare Baby Sea Turtles Just Hatched in Queens, New York

If they can make it there, they'll make it anywhere.
October 03, 2018
Gastro Obscura
story
food art

The Life and Times of a Japanese Candy Artist

She brought the rare, age-old art to Epcot and a Yayoi Kusama exhibition.
October 02, 2018
story
greenhouses

The Century-Long Scientific Journey of the Affordable Grocery Store Orchid

Orchids were once considered the world’s most difficult and exotic flowers. So why can you buy one for $12.99 at Trader Joe’s?
October 02, 2018
Gastro Obscura
story
travel

Inspiration for Your Next Food-Related Adventure

Atlas Obscura readers share their most memorable experiences of traveling for the sake of eating.
October 02, 2018
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