Foods James Ricci Has Tried

The Detroit favorite is one of the oldest sodas in the United States.

These dairy-based sculptures have been state fair traditions for more than a century.

Historians debate whether this dish actually originated with Italian sex workers.

One fantasy food's journey from sci-fi vegan steak to silver screen cannibalism to actual meal replacement.

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

This beloved piece of Mexican-American fusion coats a bacon-wrapped dog in beans, mayo, and jalapeño salsa.

A melt-in-your-mouth mixture of raw beef, butter, and spices.

The South Pacific's shrub-based drink causes relaxation, euphoria, and a tingling sensation.

These inky cloves have aged like a fine wine.

Because a fish fry lacks pyrotechnics.

A timeless practical joke, brought to you by the ancient Greeks.

Depending on how they're prepared, these caterpillars can taste like everything from tea to a well-done steak.

This cosmic-colored flavor is a Midwestern mystery.

Flip over these prickly treasures and find creamy, orange meat.

In the 1920s, confectioners thought the public wanted candy that looked like legumes—and they were right.

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

A century-old organism creates some of the world's best bread.

Baloney's predecessor is sweet, delicately spiced, and bigger than your head.

Catch these fiercely guarded queens for a crunchy, caviar-flavored snack.

Once a treatment for heat stroke, the herbal gel now flavors desserts.

Everything St. Louisans love about this local specialty is in the name.

In the city of Celaya, goat's milk caramel tops everything from ice cream to cereal.

In the 1970s, housewives stabbed their cakes and filled the holes with Jell-O.

With extra-gooey cheese and a cracker-thin crust, some say it's more like nachos.