No recipe emerges from a vacuum, and uncovering the context behind long-lost dishes is often a delicious way to immerse yourself in other times. Gastro Obscura published dozens of recipes from all over the world this year, each with stories to tell. From unpacking the problematic history of one of Emily Dickinson’s favorite sweets to challenging the narrative surrounding chop suey, our writers and editors never shied away from complicated tales. Many of our top stories centered on recreating delicacies from another time and place, be it Medieval mead from…