maryfran's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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Cincinnati Chili
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Cincinnati Chili

Spiced meat sauce meets spaghetti, shredded cheese, and beans in a Midwest cult favorite.
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Jell-O Salad
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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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The Fluffernutter

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

This cure-all-turned-soda once outsold Coca-Cola.
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Shit on a Shingle
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Shit on a Shingle

This is what happens when soldiers pick a new name for meat on bread.
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Yule Log Cake
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Yule Log Cake

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

A New England tradition of steaming bread in coffee tins gave rise to this niche snack.
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The Zombie
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The Zombie

Donn Beach only wrote the recipe for his famously potent cocktail in secret code.
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Orbitz
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Orbitz

This drink hasn't been produced since the late nineties, but still has a cult following.
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Fresh Hop Beer
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Fresh Hop Beer

These seasonal brews gets made with an ephemeral ingredient.
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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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Masters Pimento Cheese Sandwich
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Masters Pimento Cheese Sandwich

The story of the golf tournament’s signature snack is one of secret recipes and controversial updates.
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Shoofly Pie
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Shoofly Pie

Mornings in Amish country once called for pie-cake and coffee.
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St. Louis-Style Pizza
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St. Louis-Style Pizza

With extra-gooey cheese and a cracker-thin crust, some say it's more like nachos.
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Poke Cake
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Poke Cake

In the 1970s, housewives stabbed their cakes and filled the holes with Jell-O.
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Gooey Butter Cake
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Gooey Butter Cake

Everything St. Louisans love about this local specialty is in the name.
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Lutefisk
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Prepared Foods

Lutefisk

The lye-soaked fish recipe created by Vikings is now a holiday favorite at Midwestern church dinners.
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Boiled Green Peanuts
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Boiled Green Peanuts

Roadside vendors in the Deep South soften fresh goobers with bubbling brine.
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Door County Fish Boil
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Door County Fish Boil

Because a fish fry lacks pyrotechnics.
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Glögg
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Glögg

The aroma of this mulled wine has been compared to “a warmed-up bowl of Froot Loops.”
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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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Necco Wafers
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Necco Wafers

Produced since 1847, these classic New England candies almost disappeared in 2018.
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Steamed Piggy Buns
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Steamed Piggy Buns

These adorable buns hide savory and sweet surprises.
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Colcannon
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Colcannon

A hearty Irish staple that can tell your fortune.
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