Foods Robert Pakko Has Tried

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

Osaka's most famous dish is an octopus-stuffed fried dough ball.

This sweet treat has been cool for more than 1,000 years.

"Monk's Head" cheese requires a special shaver.

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

The birthplace of coffee celebrates community with a sensory feast.

Ethiopian honey wine is sweet, funky, and perfect with injera.

No rodents were harmed in the making of this fried Canadian treat.

Bitter, sweet, and salty collide in this cool Taiwanese treat.

This Finnish licorice liqueur is as black as ink and as salty as seawater.

In Myanmar, fermented tea leaves make a tangy, caffeinated salad.

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

Bees get a lift from helicopters in order to produce this spicy honey.

The pistachio fudge makes a vibrant accompaniment to celebrations in Northern India.

Two Chinese bakery specialties, combined into one.

Beekeepers in the United States' southeastern swamplands are fighting to preserve this smooth, sweet delicacy.

These adorable buns hide savory and sweet surprises.

Tarragon provides the herbal kick to this neon-green Georgian soda.

These seasonal brews gets made with an ephemeral ingredient.

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

This sweet treat is so beloved in Hong Kong, it inspired an animated movie.

The perfect marriage of coffee and tea.

A decadent blend of coffee, whipped egg, and butter have made this wartime invention a modern-day favorite.

Grown only on the volcanic soil of Hawaiʻi’s Big Island, this coffee is known for its subtle, rich flavor and hordes of unscrupulous imitators.