Anne Ewbank's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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mayan

Archaeologists, Mayanists, and Hershey’s Collaborated to Reveal This Ancient Vessel’s Secrets

Both the inside and outside spelled out chocolate.
February 21, 2019
Gastro Obscura
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grapes

These Physicists Finally Figured Out Why Microwaved Grapes Ignite

They're raisin hell.
February 20, 2019
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valentine's day

Why a Museum Owns a Chocolate Company's Embroidery Collection

The Whitman Sampler Collection is pretty sweet.
February 15, 2019
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agriculture

America's Pistachio Industry Came From a Single Seed

A "plant explorer" helped establish the crop in California.
February 11, 2019
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sheep

For Thousands of Years, People Have Been Obsessed With Fat-Tailed Sheep

Writers and artists found them entrancing.
February 5, 2019
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cookbook

In Medieval Baghdad, Rulers Held Elite Cook-Offs

The "Iron Chef of medieval times" could have serious consequences.
January 30, 2019
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haggis

The Myth and Mystery of Scotland's Wild Haggis

The creature is said to be the source of the iconic Scottish dish.
January 15, 2019
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fame

How £100 Bought an Obscure British Actor 224 Years of Cake and Fame

Thespians, writers, and princes all dined on Baddeley cake.
January 4, 2019
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new year nibbles

Ring in the New Year With a Good Luck Pig

Whether roast pork or marzipan, a pig is a symbol of good fortune.
December 31, 2018
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toast

Toasting Your Friends Once Involved Actual Toast

As in crispy bread.
December 26, 2018
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chili peppers

When the Christmas Plant Was a Pepper, Not a Poinsettia

Chilis were once holiday must-haves.
December 20, 2018
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gingerbread

Why Hungarians Make the World's Most Beautiful Gingerbread

Christmas, Easter, and weddings all call for the spicy dough.
December 19, 2018
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distillery

Five Siblings Run the U.S.'s Only Baijiu Distillery in Their Mom's Backyard

Only in Portland.
December 17, 2018
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immigration

Why a Minnesota Pastor Wrote an Obituary for a Lutefisk Dinner

RIP Faith Lutheran Scandinavian Dinner, 1947-2017.
December 6, 2018
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food art

The Historians Cooking Up Mythical Beasts

Making a cokentryce calls for needle, thread, and a lot of meat.
November 27, 2018
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celebration

Why One Australian Island Celebrates Thanksgiving

There's pumpkin pie, but also multiple banana dishes.
November 21, 2018
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food scare

When People Panicked Over Pink Peppercorns

They're not even really pepper.
November 16, 2018
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cloistered comestibles

What Does It Take to Breed a New Honeybee?

One monk bred a "superbee."
November 14, 2018
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potatoes

Why an English Museum Has a Collection of Magic Potatoes

Touch of the rheumatiz? Try carrying around a purloined spud.
November 7, 2018
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sauce

The World's Largest Hot Sauce Collection Might Be in an Arizona Living Room

8,600 bottles and counting.
November 2, 2018
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grave week

When ‘Dumb Suppers’ Were a Halloween Love Ritual

To see into the future, young women held mystical meals.
October 30, 2018
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puzzles

Decoding (Most of) an 18th-Century 'Riddle Menu'

Our readers offer up their answers and theories.
October 26, 2018
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curry

How Curry Became a Japanese Naval Tradition

Ships and submarines have their own unique recipes.
October 25, 2018
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funeral food

Ancient Greek Funerals Were Decked Out in Celery

It was a powerful symbol of death—and victory.
October 23, 2018