Ari Gold's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
Buddha's Hand
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Fruits & Vegetables

Buddha's Hand

Smells like lavender, tastes like lemon rind, looks like a gnarled claw fresh from your nightmares. 
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African Horned Cucumber
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African Horned Cucumber

The spiky, fruit cup-flavored orb made an appearance on “Star Trek.”
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Cotton Candy Grapes
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Fruits & Vegetables

Cotton Candy Grapes

A crossbred table grape variety that tastes an awful lot like spun sugar.
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Glögg
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Drinks

Glögg

The aroma of this mulled wine has been compared to “a warmed-up bowl of Froot Loops.”
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Brunost
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Meats & Animal Products

Brunost

This “brown cheese” tastes like caramel.
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Absinthe Spoon
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Absinthe Spoon

This flat, silver spoon holds an exalted place in the mystery and ritual of absinthe drinking.
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Cynar
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Drinks

Cynar

Artichokes form the backbone of this vegetal liqueur.
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Smørrebrød
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Prepared Foods

Smørrebrød

Denmark's open-faced sandwiches are equal parts decadent and decorative.
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Ice Wine
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Drinks

Ice Wine

Pressed from frozen grapes, this prized wine was a sweet accident.
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Stinging Nettles
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Fruits & Vegetables

Stinging Nettles

Boil away this plant's poisonous hairs, and you're left with a tasty, spinach-like leaf.
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Chicken of the Woods
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Ingredients & Condiments

Chicken of the Woods

This mushroom tastes just like chicken.
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Birch Beer
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Drinks

Birch Beer

This cousin of root beer has a long history and a surprisingly minty taste.
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Dutch Baby
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Prepared Foods

Dutch Baby

Fluffy, crispy, and large enough to share, it's no ordinary pancake.
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Duck Blood and Vermicelli Soup
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Prepared Foods

Duck Blood and Vermicelli Soup

Congealed and sliced, the ferric addition is known for its purported health benefits.
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Amba
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Ingredients & Condiments

Amba

The spicy, sour mango sauce is beloved from India to Israel.
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Maror
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Maror

The bitter herb served on Passover can be anything from horseradish to lettuce.
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Coconut Grater Stool
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Coconut Grater Stool

You put the grater in the coconut...
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Durian
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Fruits & Vegetables

Durian

The fruit so pungent it's banned from trains, hotels, and public places.
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Butterfly Pea Flower
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Ingredients & Condiments

Butterfly Pea Flower

With a squeeze of lemon, this plant can turn any drink into a color-changing mood ring.
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Vietnamese Egg Coffee
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Drinks

Vietnamese Egg Coffee

A decadent blend of coffee, whipped egg, and butter have made this wartime invention a modern-day favorite.
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