There are things that are tasty but not healthy, and there are things that can kill you - two big differences. And if you want to stay in good health as long as possible, eliminate from the diet what is listed in our top 10 most poisonous foods in the world.
10. Monkey Brains
Remember the scene from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom where the heroes are served chilled monkey brains? As it turns out, this exotic dish can reward you with a deadly disease. Monkey brains can be a source of infection leading to Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. It is fatal in 85% of cases, even if it is mild. Here are the main symptoms:
- epileptic seizures;
- depression, and other mental disorders;
- blindness;
- loss of ability to speak and understand language;
- difficulty swallowing;
- chronic pain.
There is no known cure, or at least the ability to slow down the course of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.
9. Rhubarb
This plant can be used to make delicious pudding or pie, but if you eat the wrong portion of rhubarb, it could be your last meal.
Rhubarb leaves contain chemicals called oxalates. If ingested, they can cause breathing difficulties, seizures, kidney failure and even death. Rhubarb stems also contain oxalates, albeit in small quantities.
8. Sannakchi
This deadly gastronomic delight is native to Korea. A live octopus is cut into pieces, seasoned with sesame oil, sprinkled with sesame seeds and served. But even in this state, the octopus is still dangerous. Its suction cups can stick to your throat and mouth, causing choking. There are cases when people who ate sannakchi suffocated.
7. Aki
This is the "national" fruit of Jamaica. In its immature form, it can in no way be attributed to the healthiest fruits, due to the hypoglycine content. It is a poison that causes what is called "Jamaican Vomiting". Once the fruit is ripe, it is safe. Therefore, if you are in Jamaica, eat yellow aki fruits, and never eat seeds, they are always toxic.
6. Cashews
“What nonsense! I ate cashews a hundred times and nothing happened, ”the reader might exclaim. And it turns out to be right. Nothing happened, because the poisonous substances - anacardic acid (similar in action to ivy poison) and cardol - are not in the nut itself, but in the shell surrounding it.
To make the product safe to eat, the cashews are first removed from the shell, then softened in water, and then dried to remove the dangerous acid. But this must be done at a sufficiently high temperature of 125 °, or traces of poison can remain on the fried nuts.
And "raw" cashews are a marketing gimmick, all these delicious nuts are steamed before being sold.
5. Bloody clams
In fifth place in the selection of deadly products is food popular in Asian countries. These seafood got its name due to its high hemoglobin content. It makes the clams seem to bleed.
Bloody molluscs can also carry blood diseases such as hepatitis A, typhoid fever and dysentery.This is because they live in low oxygen environments where many viruses and bacteria thrive.
In 1988, an epidemic of hepatitis A was recorded in Shanghai, which broke out due to the consumption of bloody shellfish. More than 300,000 people were infected, and 30 people died, according to the Shanghai Daily.
4. Hakarl
This is the name of jerky shark meat - one of the traditional dishes of Iceland. Better not to try this ancient viking food because shark meat contains poisons such as trimethylamine oxide and uric acid.
Preparing the hakarl involves butchering the shark and placing the pieces in containers with gravel and holes in the walls. There are pieces of shark for a couple of months so that the poisons flow out of the carcass along with the liquids. Then they “ripen” in the open air for another 2 to 4 months. However, this does not always work, and then all the "delights" of severe poisoning await the eater.
3. Fisich
In Egypt, the Nile River has always been the source of life. But it was also the source of the rotting fish harvest every spring when the flood waters receded. Some clever man in the days of the pharaohs put together in his mind the fish and the magic of the flood season. This is how the holiday of Shem al-Nissim appeared, which translates as "the smell of the breeze."
Today, Egyptians also eat fisich, a fermented fish dish. Nobody likes this dish, but tradition is tradition. To prepare the fisikh, the mullet is dried in the sun and placed in a vessel with salt water for a month and a half. Technically, salt prevents rotting, but the fish stays soggy and stinks. However, the main problem is not this, but botulism. If there is not enough salt or the fish has already begun to rot, pathogenic bacteria have their own holiday. Botulinum toxin is a nerve toxin that paralyzes muscles. The symptoms of botulism are similar to those of a stroke.
Botulinum toxin is also injected at a very low concentration into people's faces to make them look younger. This procedure is called Botox.
2. Kasu marzu
it the most unusual national dish Sardinia and at the same time the most dangerous cheese in the world. It is made from ordinary pecorino cheese, brought to the stage of decay. Cheese flies lay their eggs in "rotten cheese" (as its name is translated), and larvae hatch from these eggs. Their task is to decompose cheese, which becomes very soft. And then it's up to people who will dare to try Kasu Marzu.
Whether to remove larvae from cheese before eating is a matter of taste. But it's best to cover the cheese with your hand before biting it: disturbed larvae can jump up to 15 centimeters. However, a larva that gets into the eye is not the worst thing that can happen. Some cheese fly larvae do not die once inside a person. They are so tenacious creatures that gastric juice does not always act on them. When you digest the rotten cheese that the larvae once called home, they start looking for a new place to live. And since they are within you, guess which one they choose? It is, of course, strange when the larvae are in your throat, but it is definitely worse when they crawl along the walls of the intestines.
1. Fugu
Name the most dangerous delicacy in the world translated as "river pig". But you won't get bacon from this pig; instead, fugu (one of the large puffer family) contains large amounts of tetrodotoxin. Fish uses this powerful neurotoxin to protect themselves from predators during life. And after death - as revenge on people who wanted to eat it.
Tetrodotoxin acts on the human nervous system and inhibits the transmission of nerve impulses. First, a tingling sensation appears in the mouth, then dizziness, nausea and headache come. It's getting hard to breathe. Then, your muscles begin to tense as you lose control of your entire body, eventually becoming completely paralyzed. At the same time, you do not lose consciousness, so you know exactly what is happening, right up to the moment when the neurotoxin causes cardiac arrest and stops the functioning of the lungs.
With the correct preparation method, which a specially trained, certified chef knows, puffer dishes can be safely eaten. But if a piece of flesh containing tetrodotoxin remains during cooking, this is probably your last meal. The liver, caviar and milk are especially toxic. Incorrectly prepared puffer fish kills, according to various sources, from 30 to 50 people a year. That's why we put it at the top of the ranking of the most dangerous foods on Earth.