btalmeida's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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Places visited in Brasília, Brazil
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Places visited in Irkutsk, Russia
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Places visited in Volgograd, Russia
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Places visited in Murmansk, Russia
Nimbu Mirchi
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Nimbu Mirchi

These dangling decorations of lemon and chili peppers are meant to ward off a goddess of misfortune.
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Cotton Candy Grapes
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Fruits & Vegetables

Cotton Candy Grapes

A crossbred table grape variety that tastes an awful lot like spun sugar.
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Sharkskin Wasabi Grater
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Sharkskin Wasabi Grater

Traditional sushi chefs produce optimal condiments with this ancient tool.
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Pu'er
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Drinks

Pu'er

Devoted fans pay thousands for bricks of this fermented tea.
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Agra ka Petha
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Sweets

Agra ka Petha

The city of the Taj Mahal hosts another wonder: Crystallized pumpkin candy.
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Pure Kona Coffee
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Drinks

Pure Kona Coffee

Grown only on the volcanic soil of Hawaiʻi’s Big Island, this coffee is known for its subtle, rich flavor and hordes of unscrupulous imitators.
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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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Colonnata Lard
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Meats & Animal Products

Colonnata Lard

As fine as the marble it's cured in, this pig fat salumi is a Tuscan masterpiece.
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Canastra Cheese
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Meats & Animal Products

Canastra Cheese

This traditional Brazilian raw milk cheese is caught in the crosshairs of a battle over government regulation.
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Kibbeh Nayyeh
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Meats & Animal Products

Kibbeh Nayyeh

This raw meat meze from Lebanon is as fresh as it gets.
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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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Pocari Sweat
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Drinks

Pocari Sweat

A pharmaceutical company developed this beverage as drinkable IV solution.
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Riga Black Balsam
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Drinks

Riga Black Balsam

There's a legend that this Latvian herbal liqueur saved an ailing Catherine the Great.
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Vologda Butter
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Meats & Animal Products

Vologda Butter

This regional Russian delicacy once called itself Parisian.
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Pine Cone Preserves
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Sweets

Pine Cone Preserves

Soft young cones make a sweet jam believed to have health benefits in Russia and Georgia.
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Kofola
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Drinks

Kofola

The sweet-and-sour soda almost disappeared with the collapse of communist rule in then-Czechoslovakia.
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Pequi
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Fruits & Vegetables

Pequi

You can only nibble on this citrusy-cheesy fruit or risk a mouthful of spikes.
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Wagashi
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Sweets

Wagashi

These Japanese sweets demonstrate the ephemeral beauty of the seasons.
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Ketchup Chips
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Prepared Foods

Ketchup Chips

This Canadian favorite is relatively unknown elsewhere.
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Matcha Chasen
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Matcha Chasen

To make the perfect matcha, start with the perfect whisk.
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Russian Napoleon Cake
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Sweets

Russian Napoleon Cake

This traditional dessert commemorates the country's sweet taste of victory over the French emperor in 1812.
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Mozartkugel
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Sweets

Mozartkugel

Like the famed composer himself, this Mozart-homage bonbon originated in Salzburg, Austria.
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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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Cherimoya
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Fruits & Vegetables

Cherimoya

Growing this sweet, tropical fruit sometimes requires careful hand-pollination with a paint brush.
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