coolwaterlily2's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
Butterfly Pea Flower
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Butterfly Pea Flower

With a squeeze of lemon, this plant can turn any drink into a color-changing mood ring.
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Pandan Leaf Extract
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Pandan Leaf Extract

This plant adds a hint of vanilla and a wash of brilliant green to any dish.
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Red Ant Chutney
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Red Ant Chutney

Indian harvesters endure painful bites to make an intensely spicy paste.
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Grass Jelly
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Grass Jelly

Once a treatment for heat stroke, the herbal gel now flavors desserts.
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Chili Wood
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Chili Wood

Add a splinter of this vine to your meal for a tongue-numbing kick.
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Black Garlic
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Black Garlic

These inky cloves have aged like a fine wine.
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Shidol Chutney
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Shidol Chutney

To make this pungent delicacy, Bangladeshis ferment a fish in a pot oiled with its innards.
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Mustard Oil
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Mustard Oil

Essential to South Asian cuisine, the flavoring is illegal in some countries.
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Pork Floss
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Pork Floss

This cotton candy-like garnish is made of dried, candied meat.
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Nam Prik Mang Da
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Nam Prik Mang Da

Pounded water beetles are this spicy condiment's main ingredient.
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Zunda
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Zunda

Flavoring everything from dumplings to mochi, this sweet and salty paste shows another side to edamame.
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Stink Beans
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Stink Beans

These Southeast Asian legumes are famed for their lasting funk and deliciously nutty flavor.
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Tempoyak
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Tempoyak

Fermenting raw durian is a better idea than you thought.
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Long Pepper
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Long Pepper

This once-common spice is now almost completely unknown outside India.
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XO Sauce
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XO Sauce

This savory seafood condiment is named after the finest cognacs.
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Warq
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Warq

This edible silver garnish has long added bling to South Asian cuisine.
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Cà Cuống Essence
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Cà Cuống Essence

An extract made from a rare water bug's pheromones makes for unforgettably pungent sauces in North Vietnam.
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Bhutanese Red Rice
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Bhutanese Red Rice

At 8,000 feet above sea level, glacial irrigation produces a unique heirloom grain.
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Mountain Maid Ube Jam
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Mountain Maid Ube Jam

In the mountains of the Philippines, nuns raise funds with a sweet spread made from purple yams.
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Square Watermelons
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Square Watermelons

They grow in boxes and can cost more than $100.
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Sea Grapes
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Sea Grapes

This "green caviar" is vegetarian friendly.
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Durian
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Durian

The fruit so pungent it's banned from trains, hotels, and public places.
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Buddha's Hand
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Buddha's Hand

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

These salted, pickled plums are an ancient Japanese hangover cure.
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