jesslefton's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
Durian
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Fruits & Vegetables

Durian

The fruit so pungent it's banned from trains, hotels, and public places.
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Okinawa Black Sugar
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Ingredients & Condiments

Okinawa Black Sugar

It's darker, saltier, and healthier than white sugar.
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Takoyaki
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Prepared Foods

Takoyaki

Osaka's most famous dish is an octopus-stuffed fried dough ball.
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Narutomaki
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Meats & Animal Products

Narutomaki

It's a whirlpool, it's an emoji, it's a fishcake!
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Yak Butter Tea
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Drinks

Yak Butter Tea

It's the fat-fueled energy drink of the Tibetan Plateau.
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Bonito Flakes
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Meats & Animal Products

Bonito Flakes

Some fish can dance.
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Umeboshi
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Fruits & Vegetables

Umeboshi

These salted, pickled plums are an ancient Japanese hangover cure.
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Singapore Carrot Cake
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Prepared Foods

Singapore Carrot Cake

A radish scramble gets lost in translation.
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Japanese Tea Ceremony
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Japanese Tea Ceremony

A ritual that showcases the beauty of the present moment.
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Dragon's Beard Candy
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Sweets

Dragon's Beard Candy

The ancient confection consists of wispy sugar-strands that look like dragon whiskers.
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Pandan Leaf Extract
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Ingredients & Condiments

Pandan Leaf Extract

This plant adds a hint of vanilla and a wash of brilliant green to any dish.
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Makgeolli
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Drinks

Makgeolli

South Korea's oldest alcoholic beverage is making a comeback.
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Balut
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Meats & Animal Products

Balut

In the Philippines, fertilized duck eggs are savory snacks.
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Snakefruit
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Fruits & Vegetables

Snakefruit

Beneath its serpent-like skin lies pineapple-flavored flesh.
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Grass Jelly
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Ingredients & Condiments

Grass Jelly

Once a treatment for heat stroke, the herbal gel now flavors desserts.
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Pineapple Bun
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Sweets

Pineapple Bun

This sweet treat is so beloved in Hong Kong, it inspired an animated movie.
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Nattō
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Prepared Foods

Nattō

These pungent fermented soybeans are coated in probiotic slime.
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Tongba
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Drinks

Tongba

Every mug of Nepalese millet beer is basically bottomless.
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Omurice
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Prepared Foods

Omurice

Japanese cooks riff on American diner food with this rice-and-ketchup omelet.
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Ramune
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Drinks

Ramune

The Japanese soda still comes in a marble-stoppered bottle from the 19th century.
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Taiyaki
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Sweets

Taiyaki

This pancake pays tribute to one of Japan's favorite fish.
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Stinky Tofu
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Prepared Foods

Stinky Tofu

Follow your nose through Taipei for this crispy, warm street snack.
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Okonomiyaki
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Prepared Foods

Okonomiyaki

A wartime rice scarcity made this versatile pancake a Japanese staple.
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Bitter Melon
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Fruits & Vegetables

Bitter Melon

This nightmarish-looking fruit has serious healing potential.
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