Sam OBrien's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
Barbecued Field Rat
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Meats & Animal Products

Barbecued Field Rat

Captured on Cambodian rice plantations, the rodents make savory roadside snacks.
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Texas Sheet Cake
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Sweets

Texas Sheet Cake

Funerals in the Lone Star State call for this comforting chocolate treat.
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Boucan
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Boucan

This grill defined a new breed of pirates.
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Snow Cream
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Sweets

Snow Cream

Ice cream made with fresh snow is a beloved Southern tradition.
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Sannakji
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Meats & Animal Products

Sannakji

These severed octopus tentacles wriggle on your plate.
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Palm Springs Date Shakes
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Drinks

Palm Springs Date Shakes

The prosperous Southern California date industry produces delicious milkshakes.
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Berliner Weisse
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Drinks

Berliner Weisse

Pink or green syrup turns a historic German ale into a tart, sweet delight.
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Pique a lo Macho
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Prepared Foods

Pique a lo Macho

Can you finish Bolivia's enormous starch-and-protein explosion?
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Guatita
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Prepared Foods

Guatita

The Ecuadorian cure for a hangover is beef tripe stew.
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Blood Pancakes
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Prepared Foods

Blood Pancakes

Scandinavians use blood to make dense, dark, savory flapjacks.
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Guayusa
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Guayusa

The Kichwa begin every day with tea and dream interpretation.
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Chicken of the Woods
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Ingredients & Condiments

Chicken of the Woods

This mushroom tastes just like chicken.
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Dragon's Beard Candy
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Sweets

Dragon's Beard Candy

The ancient confection consists of wispy sugar-strands that look like dragon whiskers.
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Queimada
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Queimada

This Galician punch is set aflame to ward off evil spirits.
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Suri Grubs
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Meats & Animal Products

Suri Grubs

Palm weevil larvae make succulent street snacks in the Amazon.
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Kholodets
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Prepared Foods

Kholodets

Savory meat jelly with a dollop of spicy mustard is a customary New Year's dish in Russia.
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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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Bird's Nest Soup
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Prepared Foods

Bird's Nest Soup

It's expensive, it's gelatinous, it's made from swiftlet spit.
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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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Sauna Sausage
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Sauna Sausage

In Finland, you sizzle along with your meal.
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Palolo
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Meats & Animal Products

Palolo

To catch these coral-dwelling, caviar-flavored sea worms, you must wade into their annual mating ritual.
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Akutuq
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Prepared Foods

Akutuq

Whipping snow, seal oil, and berries into a frosty treat takes a very deft hand.
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Casu Marzu
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Meats & Animal Products

Casu Marzu

The Sardinian cheese that wriggles with maggots.
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