These holiday cakes link Christmas to the Norse god of lightning.

This mushroom tastes just like chicken.

This French wedding cake is a caramel-wrapped tower of pastry balls.

These extra-cheesy potatoes resemble decadent fondue.

Only two silent monks know all 130 plants that go into this herbal liqueur.

Before they're filled with brandy, these bottles get attached to trees so pears can grow inside.

This spiced, warming drink may have helped broker peace between warring tribes.

Spread this fat-poached meat on a crusty French loaf.

The traditional way to send a stream of wine straight to your mouth.

Belgium's stew of beef and abbey-style ale is essentially bourguignon for beer lovers.

The same grass that feeds massive European bison adds notes of vanilla and lavender to this unique Polish vodka.

These tricky pitchers turned pouring into a complex drinking game.

Real maraschinos were born more than a century ago in an Italian distillery.

This heavenly custard was born from the leftovers of sherry winemaking.

In the 19th century, tin miners ate these handheld pies and left their crusts to appease mischievous, mine-dwelling spirits.

Pressed from frozen grapes, this prized wine was a sweet accident.

These almond cakes resembling gold ingots were sold near the Paris stock exchange.

Some Bretons claim that their signature treat is the fattiest pastry in the world.

Artichokes form the backbone of this vegetal liqueur.

To do Christmas right, Italians turn to heavenly chestnuts.

The fiery Calabrian meat spread also goes by "red Nutella" and "poor man's Viagra."

These Neapolitan Christmas sweets double as decorations.

This layered pastry from Italy's Amalfi Coast may have origins in a 17th-century convent.

No rodents were harmed in the making of this fried Canadian treat.