Nancy Bortz's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
Leaderboard Highlights
Nancy Bortz's activity rankings
1st
Places visited in Qaqortoq, Greenland
1st
Places visited in Longyearbyen, Norway
1st
Places visited in Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France
3rd
Places visited in Jefferson City, Missouri
Egg Waffles
Gastro Obscura
Story
Sweets

Egg Waffles

These portable pancake sheets have a crispy, hollow side and a sweet, doughy side.
Gastro Obscura
Yule Log Cake
Gastro Obscura
Story
Sweets

Yule Log Cake

These holiday cakes link Christmas to the Norse god of lightning.
Gastro Obscura
Black Cake
Gastro Obscura
Story
Sweets

Black Cake

Fruit soaks in rum for up to a year to make this rich Caribbean Christmas cake.
Gastro Obscura
Shoofly Pie
Gastro Obscura
Story
Sweets

Shoofly Pie

Mornings in Amish country once called for pie-cake and coffee.
Gastro Obscura
3-D Jelly Cakes
Gastro Obscura
Story
Sweets

3-D Jelly Cakes

These clear cakes house intricate scenes of fish, flowers, and more.
Gastro Obscura
King Cake
Gastro Obscura
Story
Sweets

King Cake

The Carnival cake comes with a hidden baby Jesus inside.
Gastro Obscura
Croquembouche
Gastro Obscura
Story
Sweets

Croquembouche

This French wedding cake is a caramel-wrapped tower of pastry balls.
Gastro Obscura
Superman Ice Cream
Gastro Obscura
Story
Sweets

Superman Ice Cream

It's a bird! It's a plane! It's a classic Midwestern treat!
Gastro Obscura
Exploding Chocolate Teacakes
Gastro Obscura
Story
Sweets

Exploding Chocolate Teacakes

In the 1960s, Royal Air Force pilots made a startling discovery about their sweets.
Gastro Obscura
Poke Cake
Gastro Obscura
Story
Sweets

Poke Cake

In the 1970s, housewives stabbed their cakes and filled the holes with Jell-O.
Gastro Obscura
Floating Island
Gastro Obscura
Story
Sweets

Floating Island

The 17th-century dessert plants an isle of meringue in a sea of custard.
Gastro Obscura
Chimney Cake
Gastro Obscura
Story
Sweets

Chimney Cake

After rotating over hot coals, the Transylvanian treat unravels in a sweet spiral.
Gastro Obscura
Eccles Cake
Gastro Obscura
Story
Sweets

Eccles Cake

The traditional sweet currant cake has an incendiary reputation.
Gastro Obscura
Blue Moon Ice Cream
Gastro Obscura
Story
Sweets

Blue Moon Ice Cream

This cosmic-colored flavor is a Midwestern mystery.
Gastro Obscura
Irish Potato Candy
Gastro Obscura
Story
Sweets

Irish Potato Candy

This sweet spud is neither made with tubers, nor of Irish origin.
Gastro Obscura
Boston Baked Beans
Gastro Obscura
Story
Sweets

Boston Baked Beans

In the 1920s, confectioners thought the public wanted candy that looked like legumes—and they were right.
Gastro Obscura
Beaver Tails
Gastro Obscura
Story
Sweets

Beaver Tails

No rodents were harmed in the making of this fried Canadian treat.
Gastro Obscura
Necco Wafers
Gastro Obscura
Story
Sweets

Necco Wafers

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

Steamed Piggy Buns

These adorable buns hide savory and sweet surprises.
Gastro Obscura
New York Charlotte Russe
Gastro Obscura
Story
Sweets

New York Charlotte Russe

The dainty, cream-filled specialty is on the brink of extinction.
Gastro Obscura
Yorkshire Parkin
Gastro Obscura
Story
Sweets

Yorkshire Parkin

On November 5, the British celebrate a thwarted assassination attempt with bonfires and deliciously dense, sticky gingerbread.
Gastro Obscura
Anis de Flavigny
Gastro Obscura
Story
Sweets

Anis de Flavigny

Once made by monks, this candy spends 15 days rolling in sugar syrup to get its pearly-white shell.
Gastro Obscura
Trenary Toast
Gastro Obscura
Story
Sweets

Trenary Toast

Finnish immigrants brought these crunchy, cinnamon-coated slices to Michigan's Upper Peninsula.
Gastro Obscura
Marzipan Easter Lamb
Gastro Obscura
Story
Sweets

Marzipan Easter Lamb

This sweet symbolic figurine is a Sicilian holiday tradition.
Gastro Obscura