Foods Alex Mayyasi Has Tried

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

The Peruvian pepper tastes like spicy citrus.

This slightly sweet dessert is a staple in some Black American Muslim communities.

A bloody good candy bar.

This savory-sweet pairing is a classic school lunch.

Once made by monks, this candy spends 15 days rolling in sugar syrup to get its pearly-white shell.

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

The Belgian candy that sparked an epic vendor battle.

All is fare in the Korean War.

These delicious strands of juice-coated nuts look like colorful candlesticks.

The fruit so pungent it's banned from trains, hotels, and public places.

These seasonal brews gets made with an ephemeral ingredient.

Tarragon provides the herbal kick to this neon-green Georgian soda.

South Koreans turned this simple grain into a nutty energy drink.

The unique style born out of the California Gold Rush blends the crispness of a lager with the flavor of an ale.

A brewery consulted drinking vessels found in the ancient king’s tomb to recreate a 2,700-year-old elixir.

You can have your syrup and drink it, too.

New Haven's signature pie combines staples from Rhode Island and Naples.

This cousin of root beer has a long history and a surprisingly minty taste.

Pink or green syrup turns a historic German ale into a tart, sweet delight.

Economists use this cheesy bread as a metric for cost of living between Georgian cities.

Infants and Genghis Khan enjoyed this fermented mare's milk.

A dark soda with a dark history.

From postwar dessert to sweet slice of Canadian identity.