venicedoll's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
Grass Jelly
Gastro Obscura
Story
Ingredients & Condiments

Grass Jelly

Once a treatment for heat stroke, the herbal gel now flavors desserts.
Gastro Obscura
Stinky Tofu
Gastro Obscura
Story
Prepared Foods

Stinky Tofu

Follow your nose through Taipei for this crispy, warm street snack.
Gastro Obscura
Candied Hawthorn
Gastro Obscura
Story
Sweets

Candied Hawthorn

To celebrate Chinese New Year, vendors sell skewered, sugar-coated berries.
Gastro Obscura
Stinging Nettles
Gastro Obscura
Story
Fruits & Vegetables

Stinging Nettles

Boil away this plant's poisonous hairs, and you're left with a tasty, spinach-like leaf.
Gastro Obscura
Bird's Nest Soup
Gastro Obscura
Story
Prepared Foods

Bird's Nest Soup

It's expensive, it's gelatinous, it's made from swiftlet spit.
Gastro Obscura
Pandan Leaf Extract
Gastro Obscura
Story
Ingredients & Condiments

Pandan Leaf Extract

This plant adds a hint of vanilla and a wash of brilliant green to any dish.
Gastro Obscura
Dragon's Beard Candy
Gastro Obscura
Story
Sweets

Dragon's Beard Candy

The ancient confection consists of wispy sugar-strands that look like dragon whiskers.
Gastro Obscura
Churchkhela
Gastro Obscura
Story
Sweets

Churchkhela

These delicious strands of juice-coated nuts look like colorful candlesticks.
Gastro Obscura
Balut
Gastro Obscura
Story
Meats & Animal Products

Balut

In the Philippines, fertilized duck eggs are savory snacks.
Gastro Obscura
Maple Leaf Tempura
Gastro Obscura
Story
Prepared Foods

Maple Leaf Tempura

Why not fry a year-old leaf?
Gastro Obscura
Snakefruit
Gastro Obscura
Story
Fruits & Vegetables

Snakefruit

Beneath its serpent-like skin lies pineapple-flavored flesh.
Gastro Obscura
Kuwini Mango
Gastro Obscura
Story
Fruits & Vegetables

Kuwini Mango

Venture beyond the usual sour-sweet varieties with this funky, savory fruit.
Gastro Obscura
Bitter Melon
Gastro Obscura
Story
Fruits & Vegetables

Bitter Melon

This nightmarish-looking fruit has serious healing potential.
Gastro Obscura
Chimney Cake
Gastro Obscura
Story
Sweets

Chimney Cake

After rotating over hot coals, the Transylvanian treat unravels in a sweet spiral.
Gastro Obscura
Snake Wine
Gastro Obscura
Story

Snake Wine

The traditional Chinese medicine can also be deadly.
Gastro Obscura
Pineapple Bun
Gastro Obscura
Story
Sweets

Pineapple Bun

This sweet treat is so beloved in Hong Kong, it inspired an animated movie.
Gastro Obscura
Finger Lime
Gastro Obscura
Story
Fruits & Vegetables

Finger Lime

Slice one open for some citrus caviar.
Gastro Obscura
Black Garlic
Gastro Obscura
Story
Ingredients & Condiments

Black Garlic

These inky cloves have aged like a fine wine.
Gastro Obscura
African Horned Cucumber
Gastro Obscura
Story
Fruits & Vegetables

African Horned Cucumber

The spiky, fruit cup-flavored orb made an appearance on “Star Trek.”
Gastro Obscura
Pikopiko
Gastro Obscura
Story
Fruits & Vegetables

Pikopiko

These tightly coiled ferns also serve as a Māori symbol for unity.
Gastro Obscura
Rakfisk
Gastro Obscura
Story
Prepared Foods

Rakfisk

Norway's notorious fermented trout is a tangy Christmas tradition.
Gastro Obscura
Wasabi Ice Cream
Gastro Obscura
Story
Sweets

Wasabi Ice Cream

The cure and cause of a burning tongue.
Gastro Obscura
Glass Gem Corn
Gastro Obscura
Story
Fruits & Vegetables

Glass Gem Corn

This jewel-like corn became an internet sensation.
Gastro Obscura
Molcajete
Gastro Obscura
Story

Molcajete

The Mesoamerican mortar and pestle has been made, and used, the same way for thousands of years.
Gastro Obscura