Historians debate whether this dish actually originated with Italian sex workers.

These beautiful wooden cups are traditionally carved from birch tree burls.

One of the earliest fire-starting “technologies.”

These intricate stamps are relics from a time when dairy farmers beautifully branded their products.

The lychee-looking fruit appears in everything from jam and liqueur to the Aeneid and Madrid's flag.

Every December, Sinterklaas and his helper throw these little spiced cookies to Dutch children.

Outdoor festivals in Valencia call for traditional fare made in gargantuan pans.

This decadent cheese has frugal roots.

With this egg-based Christmas dessert, Portuguese pastelarias celebrate a bloodsucking fish.

These pink cookies are destined to be dunked in champagne.

In Portugal, a bowl of “camel’s drool” is a sweet treat.

This gendered sweet swap practically oozes sexual innuendos.

Local lore claims that German bakers made these pastries as an act of quiet rebellion during French occupation.

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

Pressed from frozen grapes, this prized wine was a sweet accident.

These almond cakes resembling gold ingots were sold near the Paris stock exchange.

Some Bretons claim that their signature treat is the fattiest pastry in the world.

Grown in the volcanic soil around Mt. Vesuvius, these tomatoes are one of only a couple varieties used in authentic Neapolitan pizza.

The melon has its own sculpture, festival, and order of knights.

You put the grater in the coconut...

This plant adds a hint of vanilla and a wash of brilliant green to any dish.

These inky cloves have aged like a fine wine.

This cotton candy-like garnish is made of dried, candied meat.

This once-common spice is now almost completely unknown outside India.