Foods Karin Kross Has Tried

The mellow-buzz brew that once fueled Native Americans is making a comeback.

The fiery Calabrian meat spread also goes by "red Nutella" and "poor man's Viagra."

A citrusy cream soda with a hint of rust outsells Coca-Cola in Scotland.

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

The traditional sweet currant cake has an incendiary reputation.

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

Locals joke that you should be able to “float a horseshoe” on the thick brew.

Roadside vendors in the Deep South soften fresh goobers with bubbling brine.

A crispy cookie from South Carolina, first introduced during the slave trade.

The briny “asparagus of the sea” grows along coasts around the world.

This spiced jerky is a beloved snack in South Africa.

The sweet is naturally a bubblegum shade of pink.

The fiery fruit brandy of the Balkans.

A wartime rice scarcity made this versatile pancake a Japanese staple.

A pork blood stew so rich and velvety, it's known as “chocolate meat.”

Long relegated to moonshine jars, aged corn whiskey is finally getting respect outside Kentucky.

You can roast your potatoes in this rendered fat, or just spread it on bread and eat it cold.

The Mesoamerican mortar and pestle has been made, and used, the same way for thousands of years.

This nightmarish-looking fruit has serious healing potential.

This soggy Southern snack combines cornbread and buttermilk in a single glass.

Spread this fat-poached meat on a crusty French loaf.

Once described as a “divine elixir,” this Southern sauce typically gets its spunk from coffee.

This flat, silver spoon holds an exalted place in the mystery and ritual of absinthe drinking.

Produced since 1847, these classic New England candies almost disappeared in 2018.