THEY are delicious exotic delicacies found around the world, but be warned, you need to proceed with caution.
From Cassava to Casu Marzu, here are 10 foods that could make you violently ill, or could even kill you, according to Conde Nast Traveler.
Cassava
A tropical root crop, Cassava is grown in Pacific Island countries, South America, Asia and Africa. Most imported raw cassava contains the potentially deadly cyanogenic glycoside, the Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) warns.
It advises: “To make cassava safe to eat, first peel and slice the cassava and then cook it thoroughly either by baking, boiling or roasting. This process removes the cyanogenic glycosides. Frozen cassava and frozen peeled cassava should also be prepared in this way. Discard any cooking water after use.”
Cassava is often used in cake and chips.
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Cassava chips.Source:Supplied
Fugu
The fugu is a fish famous for its ability to kill, if it’s not prepared right. It’s a delicacy in Japan, which is home to more than 3800 fugu restaurants, where chefs must go through rigorous training for years to gain the certification that allows them to prepare the fish for human consumption.
Usually eaten raw, the fish contains a poison called tetrododoxin. When consumed, tetrododoxin does not cross the blood-brain barrier, so the victims remain fully conscious while their central nervous system gradually shuts down, first producing dizziness and incoherent speech, then paralysing the muscles. This can lead to asphyxia, and possibly death.
The cute killers. Picture: Derek A.
Casu Marzu
Essentially this is rotten, maggot cheese. Yep, this gross dish is what the Sardinians call tradition.
The locals lay the cheese outside in the open — uncovered — to allow flies to lay eggs inside, which then hatch into thousands of maggot which feed on the cheese and cause fermentation.
When ingested, the larvae can bore through the intestinal walls causing severe illness. And once the maggots have died (you can tell when they stop moving!) the cheese has decayed so far that it’s too dangerous for humans to eat.
It has been banned across Europe but there’s a black market for it, with local mountain shepherds continuing to produce it in small quantities.
It’s recommended to wear eye protection when eating the cheese. Why? The maggots can jump as high as 15 centimetres and straight into the eyeballs.
Oh, and it’s meant to be an aphrodisiac.
Casu Marzu. Picture: Shardan, Wikicommons
Hakarl
A traditional Icelandic dish, hakarl is a shark from Greenland that doesn’t have a urinary tract. Let that sink in for a minute.
Chefs must ferment the shark and hang it to dry for six months in order to filter the waste and potentially toxic substances that accumulate in the animal’s meat.
Eww …
Hakarl (pictured on the right). Picture: Troy
Ackee
Jamaica’s national fruit, Ackee was actually indigenous to West Africa. If consumed before fully ripe, it can cause what is known as the Jamaican Vomiting Sickness, which can lead to coma or death. That’s due to the poison called hypoglycin. The black seeds are always toxic.
Ackee. Picture: Kaiton
Raw cashews
This one may surprise you. Those “raw cashews” you buy at the supermarket are actually not so raw; the kernels have been steamed to get rid of the dangerous chemical urushiol.
It can be fatal in large amounts.
Raw cashews. Picture: Genchi Mathi
African bullfrog
This frog is a delicacy in areas of Africa such as Namibia, but it contains a range of substances which can be lethal to humans. The age of the frog is key; a young frog who has yet to breed carries a toxin that can cause kidney failure in humans.
The African bullfrog. Picture: Tom M.
Elberberries
The leaves, twigs and seeds of the elderberry plant can cause severe illness when ingested, as they contain a chemical related to cyanide. Also, eating elderberries that aren’t ripe or cooked properly can even cause severe diarrhoea and seizures.
Elderberries. Picture: Andy Rogers
Sannakji
This dish of raw baby octopus can be dangerous. That’s because it continues to move after it has died, with the suction caps maintaining their gripping power. That’s even after they are removed from the body of the octopus and covered with oil. Choking hazard, anyone?
Sannakji. picture: Marshall Astor
Blood clams
The name may be warning enough. Harvested in areas of the Pacific, Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico, these clams may ingest viruses and bacteria, including hepatitis A, typhoid, and dysentery.
Blood clams from China’s waters have been known for causing hepatitis outbreaks.
