gabrielbodine's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
Russian Napoleon Cake
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Russian Napoleon Cake

This traditional dessert commemorates the country's sweet taste of victory over the French emperor in 1812.
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Pine Cone Preserves
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Pine Cone Preserves

Soft young cones make a sweet jam believed to have health benefits in Russia and Georgia.
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Karelian Pie
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Prepared Foods

Karelian Pie

Though its home region has been split by war, love for this hearty pastry transcends borders.
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Święconka
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Święconka

This Polish Easter tradition artfully assembles symbolic foods, from bread to lamb-shaped butter.
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Chaga Mushroom
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Chaga Mushroom

This coffee additive and killer of trees has a reputation as a medical marvel.
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Bird Milk Chocolate
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Bird Milk Chocolate

The marshmallow-based candy is named for a delicacy just out of the ancient Greeks' reach.
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Pączki
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Pączki

These Polish pre-Lent doughnuts have taken on a life (and an eating contest) of their own in the United States.
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Oscypek
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Meats & Animal Products

Oscypek

In Poland's highlands, a small group makes a beautiful, smoky sheep's milk cheese.
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Lithuanian Acorn Coffee
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Drinks

Lithuanian Acorn Coffee

Ground nuts provide the base for this warm, caffeine-free drink.
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Kibinai
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Prepared Foods

Kibinai

These savory pastries come from Lithuania's Karaim minority.
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Lithuanian Spit Cake
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Lithuanian Spit Cake

This dessert is roasted over a fire and looks like a tree.
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Apple Cheese
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Apple Cheese

This sliceable sweet treat is actually dairy-free.
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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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Butter Molds
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Butter Molds

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

Scandinavian Egg Coffee

When faced with less-than-optimal ingredients, Swedes and Norwegians once clarified their brews with eggs.
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Kransekake
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Kransekake

For special occasions, Norwegians stack 18 rings of cake into a tower.
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Brunost
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Meats & Animal Products

Brunost

This “brown cheese” tastes like caramel.
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Kvikk Lunsj
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Kvikk Lunsj

The candy is huge with Norwegian hikers and skiers.
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Carrageen Moss Pudding
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Carrageen Moss Pudding

This sweet, silky Irish pudding has a secret ingredient: seaweed.
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Blaa Bread
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Prepared Foods

Blaa Bread

This adaption of French refugee bread is now a protected Irish specialty.
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Charentais Melon
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Fruits & Vegetables

Charentais Melon

The melon has its own sculpture, festival, and order of knights.
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Giant Omelette Festival
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Food Festivals

Giant Omelette Festival

A brotherhood is behind this 15,000-egg tradition.
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Licorice Root
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Fruits & Vegetables

Licorice Root

The washed and dried root of the licorice plant was once a popular natural “candy.”
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Anis de Flavigny
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Anis de Flavigny

Once made by monks, this candy spends 15 days rolling in sugar syrup to get its pearly-white shell.
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