Author: Ms. R.

Texas barbecue is in the midst of a transformation. Long so entrenched in tradition that diners could predict the menu at a barbecue joint before visiting, smokehouses across the state are now experimenting with different cuts of meat, vegetables, flavors, and sauces. And as the state grows more diverse, these pitmasters come from a wider range of cultural backgrounds, with menus that incorporate flavors from around the world—often to very delicious ends. What tastes great with Texas barbecue? It……

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Over the past few years, hickory syrup has begun to show up at farmer’s markets around the northeastern United States. Made from the bark of the shagbark hickory tree, it’s an intriguing alternative to maple syrup. At Ox Dynasty Farms in Mifflintown, Pennsylvania, surrounded by the biggest oxen I’d ever seen, Doug Drewes presided over simmering pots of hickory bark. According to Drewes, the liquid he was cooking is called “tea.” Indeed, Joe Haber, a restaurateur and expert on……

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King Charles’s upcoming coronation will be a parade of traditions. In preparation for the festivities, we’ve delved into the Atlas Obscura archives to find some of the most unexpected English royal customs and the stories behind them. Some are centuries old and have fallen out of favor, while others—such as a royal claim to the country’s swans and a very old piece of wedding fruitcake—are still with us today. Michigan’s Bloodsucking Parasite Is Britain’s Royal Delicacy by Diana Hubbell,……

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Listen and subscribe on Stitcher, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all major podcast apps. In this episode of The Atlas Obscura Podcast, we visit the forests of Kazakhstan, where scientists are studying the wildest apples there are. Our podcast is an audio guide to the world’s wondrous, awe-inspiring, strange places. In under 15 minutes, we’ll take you to an incredible site, and along the way you’ll meet some fascinating people and hear their stories. Join us daily, Monday through Thursday,……

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Roughly 30 miles southeast of Reno, Nevada, dreamers were made millionaires by the steep and arid hills of Virginia City. Established in 1859 as a stopover for California-bound gold rushers, Virginia City’s wooden boardwalk led the way for prospectors from all over the world to take their turn at mining for the riches that lay beneath the city streets. Virtually overnight, the town became a thriving mining center, with saloons and churches and sophisticated society. Over 150 years since……

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High in the Nevada mountains, growing where little else could survive atop rocky, windswept peaks, Bristlecone pine trees are silent professors of resilience. Twisted and chiseled over time by the elements, the trees have survived the harshest of living conditions, outliving historic empires and ice ages and catastrophic climate events. Their almost mythical ability to survive in these environments is their secret to longevity. Nearly 5,000 years ago, Pinus longaeva took root in the subalpine regions of the Great……

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Nestled in a hilly corner of central Israel, among miles and miles of orange groves, an unusual museum displays one of the world’s largest tractor collections. Until the 21st century, the orchards around the museum used to be full of whirring tractors as farmers harvested the fruit trees. Back then, Israeli posters and postcards showcased the beautiful 100 square miles of orchard-dotted countryside. Known as the Sharon Plain, the groves stretched between the Mediterranean Sea and the Samarian Hills……

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