Evilpad's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
Spaghetti alla Puttanesca
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Prepared Foods

Spaghetti alla Puttanesca

Historians debate whether this dish actually originated with Italian sex workers.
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Guksi
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Guksi

These beautiful wooden cups are traditionally carved from birch tree burls.
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Tinder Fungus
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Tinder Fungus

One of the earliest fire-starting “technologies.”
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Butter Molds
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Butter Molds

These intricate stamps are relics from a time when dairy farmers beautifully branded their products.
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Strawberry Tree Fruit
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Fruits & Vegetables

Strawberry Tree Fruit

The lychee-looking fruit appears in everything from jam and liqueur to the Aeneid and Madrid's flag.
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Pepernoten
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Sweets

Pepernoten

Every December, Sinterklaas and his helper throw these little spiced cookies to Dutch children.
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Giant Paella
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Food Festivals

Giant Paella

Outdoor festivals in Valencia call for traditional fare made in gargantuan pans.
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Cancoillotte
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Prepared Foods

Cancoillotte

This decadent cheese has frugal roots.
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Lampreia de Ovos
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Sweets

Lampreia de Ovos

With this egg-based Christmas dessert, Portuguese pastelarias celebrate a bloodsucking fish.
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Biscuits Roses de Reims
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Sweets

Biscuits Roses de Reims

These pink cookies are destined to be dunked in champagne.
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Baba de Camelo
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Sweets

Baba de Camelo

In Portugal, a bowl of “camel’s drool” is a sweet treat.
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Pitos e Ganchas
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Sweets

Pitos e Ganchas

This gendered sweet swap practically oozes sexual innuendos.
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Franzbrötchen
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Sweets

Franzbrötchen

Local lore claims that German bakers made these pastries as an act of quiet rebellion during French occupation.
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Jam Roly-Poly
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Story
Sweets

Jam Roly-Poly

Once steamed in shirt sleeves and pant legs, this sweet roll took on the nickname “dead man's leg.”
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Ice Wine
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Drinks

Ice Wine

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

Financiers

These almond cakes resembling gold ingots were sold near the Paris stock exchange.
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Kouign-Amann
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Sweets

Kouign-Amann

Some Bretons claim that their signature treat is the fattiest pastry in the world.
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San Marzano Tomatoes
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Fruits & Vegetables

San Marzano Tomatoes

Grown in the volcanic soil around Mt. Vesuvius, these tomatoes are one of only a couple varieties used in authentic Neapolitan pizza.
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Charentais Melon
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Fruits & Vegetables

Charentais Melon

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

You put the grater in the coconut...
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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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Black Garlic
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Ingredients & Condiments

Black Garlic

These inky cloves have aged like a fine wine.
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Pork Floss
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Ingredients & Condiments

Pork Floss

This cotton candy-like garnish is made of dried, candied meat.
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Long Pepper
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Ingredients & Condiments

Long Pepper

This once-common spice is now almost completely unknown outside India.
Gastro Obscura