Altimira's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
Floating Island
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Sweets

Floating Island

The 17th-century dessert plants an isle of meringue in a sea of custard.
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Turkish Coffee
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Drinks

Turkish Coffee

Locals joke that you should be able to “float a horseshoe” on the thick brew.
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Shit on a Shingle
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Prepared Foods

Shit on a Shingle

This is what happens when soldiers pick a new name for meat on bread.
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Ramos Gin Fizz
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Drinks

Ramos Gin Fizz

Turning this cocktail into a fluffy cloud is easy—just hire someone to shake it for 12 minutes straight. 
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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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Yule Log Cake
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Yule Log Cake

These holiday cakes link Christmas to the Norse god of lightning.
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Salt Cellars
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Salt Cellars

These embellished containers didn’t just sit pretty on the table; they determined social standing.
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Grasshopper
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Drinks

Grasshopper

This bright green cocktail doubles as dessert.
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Poke Cake
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Poke Cake

In the 1970s, housewives stabbed their cakes and filled the holes with Jell-O.
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Boiled Green Peanuts
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Prepared Foods

Boiled Green Peanuts

Roadside vendors in the Deep South soften fresh goobers with bubbling brine.
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Chocolate Gravy
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Ingredients & Condiments

Chocolate Gravy

Sweet sauce tops off buttermilk biscuits in the Appalachian and Ozark mountains.
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Boston Baked Beans
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Boston Baked Beans

In the 1920s, confectioners thought the public wanted candy that looked like legumes—and they were right.
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Glögg
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Drinks

Glögg

The aroma of this mulled wine has been compared to “a warmed-up bowl of Froot Loops.”
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Absinthe Spoon
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Absinthe Spoon

This flat, silver spoon holds an exalted place in the mystery and ritual of absinthe drinking.
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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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Texas Kolaches
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Texas Kolaches

This tasty Czech pastry is now a Texan tradition.
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Courir de Mardi Gras
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Courir de Mardi Gras

A Cajun tradition that combines costumes, gumbo, and chasing chickens.
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New York Charlotte Russe
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Sweets

New York Charlotte Russe

The dainty, cream-filled specialty is on the brink of extinction.
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Luxardo Maraschino Cherries
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Ingredients & Condiments

Luxardo Maraschino Cherries

Real maraschinos were born more than a century ago in an Italian distillery.
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Peppermint Pig
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Sweets

Peppermint Pig

Smashing this pink candy pig with a tiny hammer is a Christmas tradition in Saratoga Springs.
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Ham Salad
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Prepared Foods

Ham Salad

This retro sandwich filling was once a convenient, comforting funeral food.
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Watergate Salad
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Sweets

Watergate Salad

This salad named after a scandal has been traced back to Kraft and Helen Keller.
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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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Louisiana Mirliton
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Fruits & Vegetables

Louisiana Mirliton

After Hurricane Katrina, New Orleanians banded together to save a beloved heirloom squash.
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