Lori Alden Holuta's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
Jell-O Salad
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Prepared Foods

Jell-O Salad

Meat covered in gelatinous goo was once a classic American comfort food.
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The Fluffernutter
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Prepared Foods

The Fluffernutter

A completely delicious, nearly nutrient-free sandwich beloved by generations of New Englanders.
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Moxie
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Drinks

Moxie

This cure-all-turned-soda once outsold Coca-Cola.
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Ramos Gin Fizz
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Drinks

Ramos Gin Fizz

Turning this cocktail into a fluffy cloud is easy—just hire someone to shake it for 12 minutes straight. 
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Shit on a Shingle
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Prepared Foods

Shit on a Shingle

This is what happens when soldiers pick a new name for meat on bread.
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The Original McDonald's French Fry
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The Original McDonald's French Fry

The beef fat–fried version that first caught Ray Kroc's eye is now extinct.
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Senate Bean Soup
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Prepared Foods

Senate Bean Soup

A bland but storied soup is always on the menu in the U.S. Senate.
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Fry Sauce
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Ingredients & Condiments

Fry Sauce

It's so much more than just mayonnaise and ketchup.
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Yule Log Cake
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Sweets

Yule Log Cake

These holiday cakes link Christmas to the Norse god of lightning.
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Sugar on Snow
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Sweets

Sugar on Snow

Where maple sap flows, all one needs to make taffy is snow.
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Canned Bread
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Prepared Foods

Canned Bread

A New England tradition of steaming bread in coffee tins gave rise to this niche snack.
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Hangtown Fry
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Prepared Foods

Hangtown Fry

This bacon-and-oyster omelet was a status symbol during the California Gold Rush.
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Grasshopper
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Drinks

Grasshopper

This bright green cocktail doubles as dessert.
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Shrub
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Drinks

Shrub

Before refrigeration, mixing fruit with sugar and vinegar extended its shelf life and made for a tasty drink.
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Shoofly Pie
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Sweets

Shoofly Pie

Mornings in Amish country once called for pie-cake and coffee.
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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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Funeral Potatoes
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Funeral Potatoes

A casserole of cheesy, corn flake–topped tubers offers comfort to Mormons in mourning.
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Egg Cream
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Drinks

Egg Cream

A fizzy, chocolate drink that harkens back to the days of Brooklyn soda fountains.
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Mozzarella Sticks with Melba Sauce
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Prepared Foods

Mozzarella Sticks with Melba Sauce

Only in Albany do people dip in raspberry sauce.
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Cincinnati Chili
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Prepared Foods

Cincinnati Chili

Spiced meat sauce meets spaghetti, shredded cheese, and beans in a Midwest cult favorite.
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Poke Cake
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Sweets

Poke Cake

In the 1970s, housewives stabbed their cakes and filled the holes with Jell-O.
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Sugar Cream Pie
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Sweets

Sugar Cream Pie

Indiana's unofficial state pie was once a desperate measure.
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Peanut Pie
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Sweets

Peanut Pie

The Virginia treat can “make even your deepest-dyed Yankee start complimenting you with a southern accent.”
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Geoduck
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Meats & Animal Products

Geoduck

This phallic, giant clam is the culinary crown jewel of the Pacific Northwest.
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