Wondrous food to explore and enjoy

Gastro Obscura

Read 2154 Gastro Stories

The Free Cookie in Your Chinese Takeout Is Actually Japanese

Fortune cookies emerged from one of America’s darkest moments.

Selena Takigawa Hoy, Atlas Obscura

October 11, 2019

America's 'Diner Man' Is Donating His Life’s Work to the Henry Ford Museum

Half a century of menus, matchboxes, and postcards finds a home.

Luke Fater, Atlas Obscura

October 10, 2019

The Gobi Desert Is a Red Sea of Chili Peppers

They dry in the sun every autumn in China's Uyghur Autonomous Region.

Reina Gattuso, Atlas Obscura

October 9, 2019

How a Mexican General's Exile in Staten Island Led to Modern Chewing Gum

He captured the Alamo, lost Texas, and helped invent Tutti Frutti.

Will Conant, Atlas Obscura

October 7, 2019

This Fraternity of Frenchmen Is Reviving the Beloved Pâté-Croûte

A foodie brotherhood launched a world competition dedicated to their favorite meaty pastry.

Emily Monaco, Atlas Obscura

October 4, 2019

The Restaurant Putting India's Disappearing Tribal Cuisine Back on the Menu

In a Ranchi kitchen, local women fight to save indigenous food, one bowl of fish curry at a time.

Reina Gattuso, Atlas Obscura

October 3, 2019

A New Cookbook Traces the Surprising Histories of Famous Dishes

Some signature dishes changed the culinary world.

Anne Ewbank, Atlas Obscura

October 3, 2019

Found: Milk Residue That Proves Ancient Europeans Used Cute-as-Heck Baby Bottles

The clay vessels are shaped like mythical animals.

Reina Gattuso, Atlas Obscura

October 1, 2019

dynamic diasporas

In Greenland, Thai Restaurants Serve Whale Skin Sushi and Reindeer Pad Krapow

A large immigrant community has made their cuisine popular.

Katie Lockhart, Atlas Obscura

September 30, 2019

The Gaelic World’s Last Great Bird Hunt

Just 10 men are permitted to hunt and pickle 2,000 young seabirds on a desolate island each year.

Luke Fater, Atlas Obscura

September 27, 2019

Sold: Charles Dickens’s Liquor Log

Dickens spent the days before his death counting casks of whiskey.

Reina Gattuso, Atlas Obscura

September 26, 2019

gastro obscura profiles

The Last Goatherd in Hell

Alfonso Hernández Saguero is preserving an ancient way of life and its cherished foods.

Lauren Schenkman, Atlas Obscura

September 25, 2019

The Man Making Hats Out of Vegetables

Teofilo Garcia may be the last Filipino to turn gourds he grows into headwear.

Richard Collett, Atlas Obscura

September 24, 2019

The Japanese Ghost Town Buried Deep in a Canadian Forest

Archaeologists have dug up sake bottles and delicate rice bowls.

Reina Gattuso, Atlas Obscura

September 23, 2019

Why Bear Fat Makes for Better Baking

This niche practice was commonplace in North America for centuries.

Luke Fater, Atlas Obscura

September 20, 2019

How the Alchemy of Copper and Design Creates Great Gin

The history of this botanical drink is more spirited than you can imagine.

How Mumbai's Masalawaalis Make a Single Spice From 30 Ingredients

Bottle masala is impossible to find in stores.

Beverley Ann D'Cruz, Atlas Obscura

September 20, 2019

London's Subterranean Victorian Bathrooms Now House Bars and Cafés

People drink gin and coffee where gentlemen once relieved themselves.

Katherine Waters, Atlas Obscura

September 18, 2019