Foods Muikkunen Has Tried

Residents of this Greek island distill mastic sap, the "tears of Chios," into a piney-sweet liqueur.

This “brown cheese” tastes like caramel.

Eating these unpredictable tapas is a game of spicy-pepper roulette.

Sicilian nuns once hung these sugary "fruits" from tree branches.

These salty potatoes were originally boiled in seawater.

These chocolate-covered peanuts got M&M's banned in Sweden.

These saffron buns are eaten on Lucia Day in Sweden.

Finally, an edible carrying case for fish.

Denmark's open-faced sandwiches are equal parts decadent and decorative.

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

These salted, pickled plums are an ancient Japanese hangover cure.

With a squeeze of lemon, this plant can turn any drink into a color-changing mood ring.

This plant adds a hint of vanilla and a wash of brilliant green to any dish.

To celebrate Chinese New Year, vendors sell skewered, sugar-coated berries.

Devoted fans pay thousands for bricks of this fermented tea.

Portuguese traders' love of marzipan paved the way for Thailand's vibrant mung bean candy.

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

Boil away this plant's poisonous hairs, and you're left with a tasty, spinach-like leaf.

Scandinavians use blood to make dense, dark, savory flapjacks.

The dessert that's also a meal.

After rotating over hot coals, the Transylvanian treat unravels in a sweet spiral.

In Poland's highlands, a small group makes a beautiful, smoky sheep's milk cheese.

Finns celebrate Easter with millions of real eggshells filled with almond-hazelnut nougat.

Traditional Easter pudding, best served untraditionally.