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for example, is so ubiquitous all over the world. Some may be surprised to learn that it got its start in China almost two thousand years ago, and the glasses we used to see clearly each day first arrived in Italy during the Jury. But such inventions aren't the only things that have spread across the globe. Food has also escaped beyond its original borders, allowing different cultures to sample flavors from thousands of miles away. William Hughes was on a quest, but not for food. He was on the

hunt for plants. He had traveled thousands of miles by ship from his home in England to the America's during the sixteen thirties. He was was a botanist, writing about the plants of the New World. He was also a pirate. There weren't too many pirate botanists in those days. If you can imagine, Hughes had pretty much cornered the markets. However, he was no captain. Instead, he took up a position serving on one of the King's ships doing odd jobs.

Other crew members followed orders to capture any ships they encountered at sea, but that wasn't what made Hugh as a pirate. His job was unique and considerably more dangerous. When a ship encountered an unfamiliar land, Hughes was out in a small boat to investigate it. He would look for food and fresh water, then report back as to whether it was safe for the others to come ashore. He wasn't upset about the task though. By exploring the flora of unknown shores, Hughes was able to record new

observations for his book. He encountered plants and fruits such as sugar canes, limes, and prickly pears. In his notes, he detailed how to use them in their fullest potential. The lime, for example, worked best as an antidote discurvy. Of all the fruits he encountered, though, there was only one to which he devoted his longest and most thorough entry. He called it the American nectar. The Colombians and Hondurans were already familiar with it. Its main ingredients had factored

into their foods and drinks for thousands of years. The ingredient was considered a food of the gods. People would grind it up or crush it into a pulp and place it in hot water with other foods like honey and vanilla. The drink was also incorporated into religious ceremonies, and when prepared in a certain way, bore the color and viscosity of blood. European colonizers who visited South America were often greeted with steaming cups of the stuff, which

was how Hughes came to know it so well. He published some of his favorite recipes in his book The American Physician in sixteen seventy two. He wasn't the first to encounter the fruits, but he was among the first

to write about it in English. Christopher Columbus had encountered it over a hundred years earlier, on one of his trips to the Americus, the Hondurans he'd met had treated it as precious as gold, spilling some of the fruits on the floor of their canoe and quickly picking it back up, careful not to lose any Columbus tasted some and believed it to be some kind of almond. In fact, most Europeans who consumed the drink made from this valuable ingredients didn't care much for it. It was too bitter

for their tastes. One Italian explorer noted that it was more fit for pigs than humans, and so it was widely ignored outside of Central and South America. Spain went on to adopt it, but it didn't spread throughout the rest of Europe until Hughes brought both the fruits and the recipes back with him to England. Europeans eventually returned to the America's but not to taste the magical drink. They committed genocides of the indigenous people, murdering thousands and

taking many overseas as slaves. They also started importing African slaves as well. The women from these different cultures shared their knowledge to help make the drink less bitter as it would appeal more to their master's tastes. They would sweeten it by adding things like milk and flavorings. Today we still guzzle cups of it during the winter, snuggled up by our fireplace or the Yule log on TV.

We put everything from marshmallows to peppermint in it to enhance its flavor, but in the end, the pure substance just can't be beat. The American nectar the South Americans gave to William Hughes was none other then hot chocolate. Nothing beats a nice relaxing vacation on a tropical island, the warm sand beneath one's feet, a cold drink with a tiny umbrella sticking out of it, and the sound

of the ocean crashing upon the shore. Just the thought is enough to make someone want to pack up and fly out to one tomorrow, that is, if they can find it. In ninety seven, England's Guardian newspaper did a special report on an obscure set of islands known as the Sans Serif, which were celebrating the tenth anniversary of their independence from Portugal. Despite its rich history, San Serif was not well known until the Guardians seven page story.

It was discovered in the Indian Ocean by explorer John Street, who first set sail with his crew in fourteen one. Spain and Portugal sent ships of their own to colonize the islands ten years later. After their rule ended, Great Britain took control of San Serrif during the mid seventeenth century until it seeded the land to Portugal in eighteen fifteen, the island's independence not coming until April of nineteen sixty seven.

The larger island, named Casa superior A, was home to an international airport, as well as lush forests and substantial oil fields along its western coast. The smaller island, Casa inferior A, also had an airport of its own and several tourist friendly beaches. Surprisingly, such small islands were actually home to almost every world religion imaginable. However, the primary faith was that of Asterism, an amalgamation of Christianity, Hinduism,

and other belief systems. Worshippers believe their god, the Ascender, would eventually return and lift them above the baseline with the help of priests known as wingdings. The food of Sant sa refe was comprised mainly of the root vegetable swarfega. Swarfega was prepared a number of ways, including mashed, squashed and flattened, then dipped into flavorful sauces. To help with the taste, many islanders would wrap it in toilet paper first to help it go down just a little easier.

Readers were smitten with San Serriff and what it had to offer Englanders looking for a tropical vacation spot, but travel agents hated it. They were bombarded with calls following the reports publication from people hoping to book flights to the archipelago. There was just one problem. They couldn't find it. If you haven't caught on yet, there's something a little

offset about San Saiff. You can hear it in the name San Serif San Saraf consisting of the two principal islands where those names translate to upper case and lower case. It's cities and ports are named after fonts such as Bodhini, Garamond, Clarendon, and other areas named for general type setting terms. At the tip of the lower island lies thirty point, just to hop, skip and a jump away from the shores

of gil Sands. The island's creation had been in April Fool's Day joke devised by Philip Davies, the Special reports manager for The Guardian. He had been mildly annoyed by the articles of another paper, The Financial Times, which would publish pieces about small countries he had never heard of. Shortly before April one of nineteen seventy seven, Davies was flipping through The Financial Times and wondered, why don't we

just make up a country. The other editors took his idea and ran with it, turning it not only into a successful April Fool's Day joke, but also an advertising venture. Four of the seven pages of the report were nothing but ads from real companies who were in on the hoax. For example, Kodak held a photo competition for readers pictures of San Saief. Winners would be featured in a public

exhibition the following year. Though the airlines and travel agents were less than thrilled by the ruse, it has endured for over forty years thanks to fan made websites and even a series of books published about life on the islands, all fictional, of course, Several astute readers caught on right away, writing back to the paper with tongue in cheek letters about their childhood trips to the islands. It wasn't like

Davies was trying to hide it either. Look closely at a map of Sans Serife and you'll see the biggest clue of all. The pair of islands had been drawn to resemble a semi colon. And that's what I'd call curious. I hope you've enjoyed today's guided tour of the Cabinet of Curiosities. Subscribe for free on Apple Podcasts, or learn more about the show by visiting Curiosities podcast dot com. The show was created by me Aaron Manky in partnership

with how Stuff Works. I make another award winning show called Lore, which is a podcast, book series, and television show, and you can learn all about it over at the World of Lore dot com. And until next time, stay curious one.