Atlas Obscura - Places Newsletter

How cilantro became persona non grata in Italy

07-08-2024

	July 08, 2024

Gastro Obscura

Why Italy Fell Out of Love With Cilantro

When you think of Italian herbs, cilantro (also known as coriander) is probably not the first one that comes to mind. Yet crack open the fifth-century Roman cookbook Apicius, and you’ll find it included in 18 percent of all recipes. Compare this with Pellegrino Artusi’s Science in the Kitchen and the Art of Eating Well, published in 1891 and often considered the foundational text of modern Italian cuisine, where coriander leaves are absent from the book’s nearly 800 recipes. Why did coriander fall out of fashion?

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Unusual Maps

Sea Cucumber Crime

A “seafood mafia” is plying the waters between India and Sri Lanka to satisfy China’s appetite for an increasingly rare delicacy. It’s a crime spree—of sorts, anyway.

Sports

Monster Wrestling And Other Tales

As the world starts looking towards the Olympics, we’d like to remind you that there are other weird, wonderful sports out there. Like Japanese log riding. Or llama races!

Craftmanship

Where Necklaces Become Power

The women of Umoja no longer need a man to make their mporo marriage necklaces.

Atlas Obscura Courses

How to Engineer 3D Paper Art

Paper has the innate ability to transform into something fascinating, complex, and three-dimensional. Join us as we learn how to harness this potential, crafting pop-ups and 3D paper structures along the way.

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Sponsored by West Virginia Tourism

12 Exciting Adventures in West Virginia

Experience the wonders of the Mountain State, from stays in fire towers with panoramic views to tours of top-secret nuclear bunkers and explorations of enchanting underground worlds. Here are 12 curious places to inspire your next exciting adventure.

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Clifton, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Happy Island

Starting with nothing more than discarded conch shells, one man has built an island/bar that would make Jimmy Buffet jealous.

Netherlands

Leiden’s Pink House Has a Long, Colorful History

Czechia

The Window That Started the Thirty Years’ War

Ireland

The Eerie Remains of One of Ireland’s Oldest Castles

England

The Legend of Why a Beaver Was Consecrated

Atlas Obscura Adventures

A Road Trip Through the Balkans

Experience a transformative road trip filled with dramatic history and spectacular scenery as you travel across Serbia, Croatia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina in search of lasting memories of the former Yugoslavia. On the itinerary: fortresses and skyscrapers, ruined factories, surreal war memorials known as spomeniks, and extraordinary works of Modernist architecture.

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