Thingamahbob's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
Motiv Zuckerl
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Sweets

Motiv Zuckerl

These detailed, dainty confections are made by hand with minimal tools.
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Gata
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Sweets

Gata

Outside chapels carved from cliffs and caves, elderly women sell sweet, beautiful breads rooted in Armenia’s Christian traditions.
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T'tu Lavash
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Sweets

T'tu Lavash

Armenians were making these sweet sheets of dried fruit centuries before the Fruit Roll-Up.
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Korovai
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Korovai

The Ukrainian wedding bread is so beautiful, it's displayed near the altar.
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Podstakannik
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Podstakannik

These old-school metal tea-glass holders are a fixture on Russian trains.
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Gematogen
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Gematogen

A bloody good candy bar.
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Tula Pryanik
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Sweets

Tula Pryanik

These ornately decorated spice cookies developed alongside a Russian city's gun industry.
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Zhavoronki
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Prepared Foods

Zhavoronki

These lark-shaped buns herald spring.
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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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Koliva
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Koliva

Drooling over this nutty spiced dessert is a heretical move.
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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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Karelian Pie
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Prepared Foods

Karelian Pie

Though its home region has been split by war, love for this hearty pastry transcends borders.
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Širvenos
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Drinks

Širvenos

This Lithuanian brew adds green peas to the malt.
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Lithuanian Spit Cake
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Sweets

Lithuanian Spit Cake

This dessert is roasted over a fire and looks like a tree.
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Kibinai
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Prepared Foods

Kibinai

These savory pastries come from Lithuania's Karaim minority.
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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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Commandaria
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Drinks

Commandaria

To taste the oldest wine still in production, head to Cyprus.
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Kartoshka
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Sweets

Kartoshka

Soviet cafeterias whipped up this chocolate “potato” to use leftovers.
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Kvass
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Drinks

Kvass

You can find authentic versions of this sour Slavic brew at street stalls and monasteries.
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Sgushyonka
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Sweets

Sgushyonka

This gooey, sweet treat was a Soviet staple.
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Chestnut Beer
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Drinks

Chestnut Beer

The ultimate in nutty brews.
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Sanguinaccio Dolce
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Sweets

Sanguinaccio Dolce

Italians make a bloody delicious chocolate pudding.
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Amaro di Sant'Antimo
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Amaro di Sant'Antimo

At an abbey in the Tuscan countryside, monks specialize in a curative, flower-based liqueur.
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Prickly Pear Liqueur
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Drinks

Prickly Pear Liqueur

This jewel-toned Sicilian and Maltese specialty is so sweet, it’s hard to believe it comes from a spiky cactus.
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