When the clock strikes midnight on the third Thursday of November, fans gather to celebrate the release of this fresh, fruity wine.

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

This flat, silver spoon holds an exalted place in the mystery and ritual of absinthe drinking.

This French fortified wine is left outside for a year, aging amid rain and swinging temperatures.

The washed and dried root of the licorice plant was once a popular natural “candy.”

Whale excrement once flavored ice cream.

These marvelous mussels are cooked under pine needles.

The melon has its own sculpture, festival, and order of knights.

Once made by monks, this candy spends 15 days rolling in sugar syrup to get its pearly-white shell.

Ancient Celtic settlers brought this honey-based drink to Brittany.

This decadent cheese has frugal roots.

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

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

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

These French candies originally came in seashells.

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

The 17th-century dessert plants an isle of meringue in a sea of custard.

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

These extra-cheesy potatoes resemble decadent fondue.

This dying practice requires total trust between horse and rider.

Make like a 19th-century Belgian miner and cool off with this refreshing ale.

These sweet hands come with stories of triumph and brutality.

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

This Christmas bread is formed in the shape of the baby Jesus.