semken's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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Places visited in Grand Canyon Village, Arizona
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Pachamanca
Gastro Obscura
Story

Pachamanca

In Peru, layers of potatoes, meat, and sweets are steamed in a pit filled with volcanic rocks.
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Jell-O Salad
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Prepared Foods

Jell-O Salad

Meat covered in gelatinous goo was once a classic American comfort food.
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The Fluffernutter
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Prepared Foods

The Fluffernutter

A completely delicious, nearly nutrient-free sandwich beloved by generations of New Englanders.
Gastro Obscura
Huitlacoche
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Ingredients & Condiments

Huitlacoche

The Mexican fungal delicacy that makes corn taste like a mushroom.
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Tomalley
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Story
Meats & Animal Products

Tomalley

That green stuff inside a lobster? You can (usually) eat it.
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Birch Beer
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Drinks

Birch Beer

This cousin of root beer has a long history and a surprisingly minty taste.
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Cel-Ray
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Drinks

Cel-Ray

Quench your thirst with the refreshing taste of celery soda.
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The Original McDonald's French Fry
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Prepared Foods

The Original McDonald's French Fry

The beef fat–fried version that first caught Ray Kroc's eye is now extinct.
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Pork Roll
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Meats & Animal Products

Pork Roll

Don't call the crown jewel of New Jersey "Canadian bacon."
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Senate Bean Soup
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Prepared Foods

Senate Bean Soup

A bland but storied soup is always on the menu in the U.S. Senate.
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Blue Corn Mush
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Prepared Foods

Blue Corn Mush

Adding juniper ash to this traditional Navajo dish gives it as much calcium as a glass of milk.
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Shoofly Pie
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Sweets

Shoofly Pie

Mornings in Amish country once called for pie-cake and coffee.
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Palm Springs Date Shakes
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Drinks

Palm Springs Date Shakes

The prosperous Southern California date industry produces delicious milkshakes.
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Egg Cream
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Drinks

Egg Cream

A fizzy, chocolate drink that harkens back to the days of Brooklyn soda fountains.
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Cincinnati Chili
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Prepared Foods

Cincinnati Chili

Spiced meat sauce meets spaghetti, shredded cheese, and beans in a Midwest cult favorite.
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Barbecued Mutton
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Story
Prepared Foods

Barbecued Mutton

The slow-smoked sheep is a Western Kentucky specialty.
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Sonoran Hot Dog
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Story
Prepared Foods

Sonoran Hot Dog

This beloved piece of Mexican-American fusion coats a bacon-wrapped dog in beans, mayo, and jalapeño salsa.
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Potato Doughnuts
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Story
Sweets

Potato Doughnuts

The first American doughnut chain used spuds.
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Scrapple
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Prepared Foods

Scrapple

Pennsylvania's pork loaf embodies Amish resourcefulness.
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Molcajete
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Story

Molcajete

The Mesoamerican mortar and pestle has been made, and used, the same way for thousands of years.
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Boston Baked Beans
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Sweets

Boston Baked Beans

In the 1920s, confectioners thought the public wanted candy that looked like legumes—and they were right.
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Rocky Mountain Oysters
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Prepared Foods

Rocky Mountain Oysters

Battered and fried testicles make use of a cattle-country surplus.
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Necco Wafers
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Sweets

Necco Wafers

Produced since 1847, these classic New England candies almost disappeared in 2018.
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Coca-Cola and Peanuts
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Story
Drinks

Coca-Cola and Peanuts

This traditional Southern pairing captures sweet and salty in a single bottle.
Gastro Obscura