Sam OBrien's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
Brooklyn Blackout Cake
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Sweets

Brooklyn Blackout Cake

A cake as dark as a city hiding from enemy bombers.
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Salo
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Meats & Animal Products

Salo

Usually, the only heat that gets close to this raw pork fat is a sprinkle of pepper.
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Whistle-Belly Vengeance
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Whistle-Belly Vengeance

Colonial Americans would try anything to revive bad beer.
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Oscypek
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Meats & Animal Products

Oscypek

In Poland's highlands, a small group makes a beautiful, smoky sheep's milk cheese.
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Adjaruli Khachapuri
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Prepared Foods

Adjaruli Khachapuri

Economists use this cheesy bread as a metric for cost of living between Georgian cities.
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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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Durian
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Fruits & Vegetables

Durian

The fruit so pungent it's banned from trains, hotels, and public places.
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Vietnamese Egg Coffee
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Drinks

Vietnamese Egg Coffee

A decadent blend of coffee, whipped egg, and butter have made this wartime invention a modern-day favorite.
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Buddha's Hand
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Fruits & Vegetables

Buddha's Hand

Smells like lavender, tastes like lemon rind, looks like a gnarled claw fresh from your nightmares. 
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Takoyaki
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Prepared Foods

Takoyaki

Osaka's most famous dish is an octopus-stuffed fried dough ball.
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Pandan Leaf Extract
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Ingredients & Condiments

Pandan Leaf Extract

This plant adds a hint of vanilla and a wash of brilliant green to any dish.
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Balut
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Meats & Animal Products

Balut

In the Philippines, fertilized duck eggs are savory snacks.
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Makgeolli
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Drinks

Makgeolli

South Korea's oldest alcoholic beverage is making a comeback.
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3-D Jelly Cakes
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Sweets

3-D Jelly Cakes

These clear cakes house intricate scenes of fish, flowers, and more.
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Huitlacoche
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Ingredients & Condiments

Huitlacoche

The Mexican fungal delicacy that makes corn taste like a mushroom.
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Hot Ale Flip
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Drinks

Hot Ale Flip

A Colonial cocktail brought to you by ale, rum, and a really hot poker.
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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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Halo-Halo
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Sweets

Halo-Halo

A sundae with a surprising mix of flavors that reflect Filipino history.
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Koolickles
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Prepared Foods

Koolickles

Dill pickles soaked in Kool-Aid? Oh, yeah!
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Shoofly Pie
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Sweets

Shoofly Pie

Mornings in Amish country once called for pie-cake and coffee.
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Salsagheti
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Sweets

Salsagheti

This Mexican candy reimagines a spaghetti dinner with spicy-sour gummy noodles and tamarind sauce.
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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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Umeboshi
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Fruits & Vegetables

Umeboshi

These salted, pickled plums are an ancient Japanese hangover cure.
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Jeppson's Malört
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Drinks

Jeppson's Malört

One of the world's least-loved liquors calls Chicago home.
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