Foods Rachel Rummel Has Tried

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

This phallic, giant clam is the culinary crown jewel of the Pacific Northwest.

It's darker, saltier, and healthier than white sugar.

Slice one open for some citrus caviar.

Deep-fried grasshoppers make a tangy, crispy taco filling.

Every morning, Chinese vendors sling savory, crispy crepes to lines of patient fans.

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

Colonial Americans would try anything to revive bad beer.

Smells like lavender, tastes like lemon rind, looks like a gnarled claw fresh from your nightmares. 

This herb gives cocktails another kind of buzz.

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

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

Only two silent monks know all 130 plants that go into this herbal liqueur.

This staple sandwich of Brooklyn delis has become a symbol of gentrification.

Fluffy, crispy, and large enough to share, it's no ordinary pancake.

Created in Rome's Jewish ghetto, the fried artichokes herald spring.

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

This “brown cheese” tastes like caramel.

Spiced meat sauce meets spaghetti, shredded cheese, and beans in a Midwest cult favorite.

It's a bird! It's a plane! It's a classic Midwestern treat!

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

Peru's purple drink made from purple corn.

Leftover coffee plus gelatin equals this vintage dessert.

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