65 Items Tagged

Controversial Cuisine

Tonka beans look a bit like raisins.

Tonka Beans

A legume so loved, it’s caused a “fever” in France and made Americans break laws.

Sannakji is often dipped in sesame oil.

Sannakji

These severed octopus tentacles wriggle on your plate.

A papyrus depiction of geese-feeding from Dynasty V.

We've Been Debating Foie Gras Since Ancient Times

Early Egyptians and Greeks force-fed geese, ducks, and hyenas.

Andrew Coletti January 18, 2018

A woodcut used for William Harrison's campaign. In front of a log cabin, Harrison welcomes a soldier, inviting him to rest and drink hard cider.

The Election That Defined What 'Real Americans' Ate and Drank

Large, drunken rallies touted a populist who drank hard cider.

Bruce Kraig January 15, 2018

This is not tomato sauce.

Heinz’s Decades-Long Attempt to Convince Australia That Ketchup Is Awesome

Australians grew up with tomato sauce. Heinz wants to sell them (nearly identical) ketchup.

Ernie Smith December 21, 2017

A bowl of bird's nest soup, with ladybell root.

Bird's Nest Soup

It's expensive, it's gelatinous, it's made from swiftlet spit.

After a little time, ñachi solidifies into cubes.

Ñachi

This Chilean dish turns fresh blood into savory jelly.

Pretty please with a walnut on top.

Afghan Biscuits

These beloved New Zealand cookies have a mysterious past.

The prickly toloache fruit, with seeds inside.

Toloache

The Mesoamerican plant is used as a hallucinogen, medicine, and aphrodisiac.

Bowls of tiết canh laid out ahead of a feast.

Vietnamese Blood Soup

Tiết canh is a sour, cool, and gelatinous breakfast.

Mas Marcè's cheese aging in a climate-control cheese cave.

How Black Markets Preserved Spain's Artisanal Cheeses

Some of the world's best cheese was illegal for decades.

Jackie Bryant November 29, 2017

Roosevelt dismantles a turkey while Eleanor watches.

For Years, Republican and Democratic States Held Separate Thanksgivings

Before Friendsgiving, there was Franksgiving.

Anne Ewbank November 22, 2017

Musk sticks have been likened to "the smell of old ladies at the bus stop ... ”

Musk Sticks

This classic Australian candy looks like pink toothpaste and tastes like perfume.

Inside a bottle, far away from your taste buds, Malört seems like any other drink.

Jeppson's Malört

One of the world's least-loved liquors calls Chicago home.

Bovril from the Supermarket

Bovril

This "Fluid of Beef" fed an army and makes a hearty tea.

A homemade version made in a can and steamed in a crock pot.

Canned Bread

A New England tradition of steaming bread in coffee tins gave rise to this niche snack.

Fake ortolan, shown in a traditional presentation, sculpted by Janice Poon for the TV show "Hannibal."

Ortolan Bunting

A cruel cooking method turns this tiny songbird into a rare delicacy.

Brie Noir is more brown than black, but "noir" sounds cooler.

Brie Noir

Brie's dark, older cousin can only be found in one region of France.