Michael Harshman's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
Snakefruit
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Fruits & Vegetables

Snakefruit

Beneath its serpent-like skin lies pineapple-flavored flesh.
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Coffee Jelly
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Prepared Foods

Coffee Jelly

Leftover coffee plus gelatin equals this vintage dessert.
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Habushu
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Drinks

Habushu

These bottles of Okinawan rice liquor come with a coiled pit viper.
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Peruvian Cylinder
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Peruvian Cylinder

An unassuming oil drum houses a three-tiered oven.
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Cupuaçu
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Fruits & Vegetables

Cupuaçu

This Brazilian fruit is cacao's lesser-known, tangy cousin.
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Paiche
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Meats & Animal Products

Paiche

This 400-pound fish has fed Amazon tribes for millennia.
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Ranfañote
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Sweets

Ranfañote

This vintage dessert of bread, cheese, and syrup nearly disappeared from Peru.
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Ají Charapita
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Fruits & Vegetables

Ají Charapita

The Peruvian pepper tastes like spicy citrus.
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Picarones
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Sweets

Picarones

The sweet potato donuts are an integral part of the Afro-Peruvian community.
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Caldo de Piedra
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Prepared Foods

Caldo de Piedra

On the riverbanks of Oaxaca, cooks make “stone soup” with hot rocks and fresh fish.
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Tejate
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Drinks

Tejate

Oaxaca's favorite morning beverage is an ancient blend of cacao, corn flour, and water.
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Tepache
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Drinks

Tepache

This fizzy, tropical drink has ancient roots in Mexico.
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Pan de Pulque
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Prepared Foods

Pan de Pulque

This shape-shifting bread has kept its traditional name, but continued to reinvent itself with changing times.
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Banana Passionfruit
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Fruits & Vegetables

Banana Passionfruit

This tangy fruit flavors everything from ice cream to cocktails.
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Pulque
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Pulque

Tequila's ancient, fermented cousin is making a comeback in Mexico City.
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Chapulines
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Meats & Animal Products

Chapulines

Deep-fried grasshoppers make a tangy, crispy taco filling.
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Chocolate Pudding Fruit
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Fruits & Vegetables

Chocolate Pudding Fruit

This fruit can also count as dessert.
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Atol de Elote
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Drinks

Atol de Elote

It's delicious, unless a pregnant woman or anyone in a bad mood stirs it.
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Cajeta
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Sweets

Cajeta

In the city of Celaya, goat's milk caramel tops everything from ice cream to cereal.
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Cozido das Furnas
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Prepared Foods

Cozido das Furnas

In this island town, stew gets cooked by volcano.
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Bolo Lêvedo
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Prepared Foods

Bolo Lêvedo

Portugal's volcanic archipelago is home to addictively sweet and chewy muffins.
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Alheira
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Prepared Foods

Alheira

This sausage saved Jews' lives in Inquisition-era Portugal.
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Tonka Beans
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Ingredients & Condiments

Tonka Beans

A legume so loved, it’s caused a “fever” in France and made Americans break laws.
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Monstera Deliciosa
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Fruits & Vegetables

Monstera Deliciosa

This fruit either burns your throat or tastes like a tropical medley.
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