Foods Clare Hunter Has Tried

In the 19th century, tin miners ate these handheld pies and left their crusts to appease mischievous, mine-dwelling spirits.

The portable breakfast food might've originated with British soldiers returning from India.

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

Legend has it that a monk hid meat in these dumplings to fool God.

The beef fat–fried version that first caught Ray Kroc's eye is now extinct.

Not even Harry Potter could resist this whimsical British dessert.

The caffeinated wine is made by British monks and loved by Scottish criminals.

This condiment proves that what the world considers delicious is (nearly) universal.

Iceland's annual tradition of rounding up 800,000 sheep.

The original energy bar.

This "Fluid of Beef" fed an army and makes a hearty tea.

Baking this dual-layered bread is a difficult art.

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

The seductively delicious Easter cake once made an entire convent neglect its prayers.

Cream, eggs, and pork drippings combine in the ultimate Serbian bread bowl.

Invented in Scotland in the late 1800s, this syrupy “instant coffee” is now a beloved baking ingredient.

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

The traditional sweet currant cake has an incendiary reputation.

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

This spiced, warming drink may have helped broker peace between warring tribes.

The Irish bread comes with raisins and omens.

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

The fiery fruit brandy of the Balkans.

The aroma of this mulled wine has been compared to “a warmed-up bowl of Froot Loops.”