Sam OBrien's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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lunar new year

5 Recipes to Make for Lunar New Year

Welcome the Year of the Dragon with fortune-telling soups, lucky goldfish dumplings, and more.
February 9, 2024
Gastro Obscura
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holiday

How to Eat or Drink Your Christmas Tree

Don't just throw out your tree; use it to spruce up your cocktails, stews, and more.
January 8, 2024
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year in wonder 2023

Our Favorite Ghost Stories of 2023

From haunted grocery stores to ancient demons on TikTok, it was a great year for supernatural exploration.
January 4, 2024
Gastro Obscura
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funeral food

The Family Recipes That Live On in Cemeteries

Around the world, recipe gravestones tell stories of love, grief, and remembrance.
October 31, 2023
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vampires

The Truth Behind Poland's 'Anti-Vampire' Graves

Can recent excavations answer questions about death and demonology in the 1600s?
August 14, 2023
Gastro Obscura
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ancient foods

How to Trace Food History With Ancient Leftovers

The Penn Museum's new exhibit showcases the art of edible archaeology.
June 30, 2023
Gastro Obscura
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road trip

The Retro Lover's Guide to Road-Tripping

Inside one man's quest to visit the last vestiges of roadside Americana.
May 26, 2023
Gastro Obscura
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beltane

Why 18th-Century Scots Performed Mock Human Sacrifices Over Cake

This May Day, make Beltane bannock, a simple snack with a long history of superstition and divination.
May 1, 2023
Gastro Obscura
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funeral food

The Surprisingly Sacred Roots of Chocolate

Among the Maya, cacao has served as a powerful symbol from womb to tomb.
February 14, 2023
Gastro Obscura
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playing with your food

Celebrating Scotland's Bard? Break Out the Haggis.

Every January 25, Scotland pays tribute to its most famous poet and an offal-y delicious dish.
January 23, 2023
Gastro Obscura
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year in wonder 2022

A Year in Food Art, From the Beautiful to the Bizarre

In 2022, we covered the world’s most creative cuisine.
December 30, 2022
Gastro Obscura
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year in wonder 2022

Our Favorite Recipes of 2022

From boozy fruit preserves to tomato soup cake, we're looking back at a year of culinary curiosity.
December 12, 2022
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funeral food

A Cookbook for Dining With the Dead

Learn to make amaranth skulls, “buried” tamales, and other regional Día de Muertos recipes.
October 28, 2022
Gastro Obscura
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utopias

The Curious Connection Between Food and Cults

From Fruitlands to NXIVM, food has served as the core of Utopia and a tool of control.
October 24, 2022
Gastro Obscura
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curious kitchenware

4 of History's Most Epic Punch Bowls

If your party doesn't feature enough alcohol to float a rowboat, you're doing it wrong.
October 3, 2022
Gastro Obscura
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fair food

How a Big Block of Butter Becomes a Masterpiece

Inside the centuries-old art of transforming butter into dragons, cows, and princesses.
September 12, 2022
Gastro Obscura
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amish

The Death of Pennsylvania’s Forgotten Funeral Pie

The sweet-yet-somber treat was the star of extravagant 19th-century funeral feasts.
August 22, 2022
Gastro Obscura
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hot air balloon

A Hot-Air Balloon Restaurant and Other Stories of Food on-the-Go

Five highlights from Gastro Obscura's "Moveable Feasts" series.
August 1, 2022
Gastro Obscura
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hot springs

How to Turn a Volcano Into an Oven

From hot-springs stew to lava-baked pizza, a tour of the world's most amazing volcanically-cooked meals.
April 26, 2022
Gastro Obscura
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suffrage

The Forgotten Cookbooks That Fueled Women’s Suffrage

From “pie for a doubting husband” to “spaghetti a la suffragette,” these recipes came with a side of activism.
March 30, 2022
Gastro Obscura
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pi day

5 Forgotten Pies Worth Making for Pi Day

Pie hard with a vengeance.
March 14, 2022
Gastro Obscura
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historical recipes

Gastro Obscura’s Favorite Cookbook Stories of 2021

A look back at some special recipe collections and the communities that produced them.
December 30, 2021
Gastro Obscura
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charles dickens

Drink Like Dickens With the Author's Punch Recipe

With flair and fire, he turned mixology into a performance.
December 21, 2021
Gastro Obscura
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historical recipes

The Wild and Weird History of Eggnog

The cozy cocktail has fueled prison parties and West Point riots.
December 21, 2021