To release steam, Victorian bakers placed whimsical ceramics in their pastries.

"Monk's Head" cheese requires a special shaver.

Once ubiquitous throughout the city, shops serving this unique Pakistani curry are disappearing.

Every July, a seaside town pays homage to its local mollusks with eating contests, a marine-themed parade, and plenty of fresh seafood.

This rustic cider's name derives from an English term for fruit thievery.

This powder proved essential to Arctic exploration, war, and the ice cream parlor.

The traditional sweet currant cake has an incendiary reputation.

This ancient token of betrothal lives on as a Valentine's Day gift in Wales.

Not even Harry Potter could resist this whimsical British dessert.

These holiday cakes link Christmas to the Norse god of lightning.

The sweet Kiwi treat that represents a token reward.

In the 1960s, Royal Air Force pilots made a startling discovery about their sweets.

Once a treatment for heat stroke, the herbal gel now flavors desserts.

Eating these unpredictable tapas is a game of spicy-pepper roulette.

The fiery Calabrian meat spread also goes by "red Nutella" and "poor man's Viagra."

A citrusy cream soda with a hint of rust outsells Coca-Cola in Scotland.

The Japanese soda still comes in a marble-stoppered bottle from the 19th century.

This spiced jerky is a beloved snack in South Africa.

Bread so thin, you can read music through the dough.

Sicilian nuns once hung these sugary "fruits" from tree branches.

This British temperance tonic is now a Ramadan favorite.

These salty potatoes were originally boiled in seawater.

This summery parfait has mingled with British royals and literary elites.

Once steamed in shirt sleeves and pant legs, this sweet roll took on the nickname “dead man's leg.”