there are foods out there that people regularly risk their lives to eat not obvious things like
bleach and poison mushrooms but foods with nutritional and culinary value here are the
10 most dangerous things you can eat fugu is the common name for both the specific range of puffer
fish species and the exotic dish they're used for in japanese cuisine most puffer fish species
are toxic and fugu is no different but certain culinary enthusiasts eagerly consume it raw after
a process that's meant to neutralize any danger from the tetradetoxin found in the puffer fish
the consumption of fugu is so dangerous that many places around the world ban it all together and
preparation in japanese restaurants is restricted only to highly trained and licensed chefs because
tetrodotoxin is 1 000 times more potent than cyanide and has no known antidote a centuries-old
ban supposedly means that the reigning emperor of japan is prohibited from consuming fugu upon
ascending the throne however there's reason in all things and even this ancient law falls short
of banning other royals the crown prince included from this national delicacy the liver considered
by some fugu enthusiasts to be the tastiest part of the puffer fish has been completely illegal
to consume in japanese restaurants since 1985 although it may still be prepared domestically
regardless of how legal it is domestic preparation of fugu is still a source of rare lethal accidents
that said a lot of sashimi fans feel safe eating fugu at restaurants they've properly researched
absinthe the stuff of countless urban legends absinthe is not technically something to eat but
something to drink various artists intellectuals and literary figures have been known to consume
absinthe and it's anecdotally reported to cause mild psychoactive experiences according to various
investigators these anecdotes were eventually spun into the exaggerated claims which caused increased
restrictions and regulations on the spirit in various countries and jurisdictions all these
restrictions regulations and illegal sales further gave the mists surrounding absinthe plenty of room
to grow the ingredient often blamed for absence possibly real as well as exaggerated psychoactive
properties is a compound known as thujone while no evidence was found that thujone actually causes
hallucinations there have been indications that it causes nightmares at high enough doses it can also
cause tremors kidney failure seizures dizziness or a number of other health conditions in high
enough doses but if you choose to drink properly distilled absinthe the doses of thujone in your
drink should be much lower than the doses found to cause any of these conditions poorly distilled
absinthe however made on the cheap might have a lot more thujone than any drink should as well as
other dangerous substances that you don't find in original absinthe recipes with this in mind
it's easy to see how the increased restrictions on absinthe might have contributed to its reputation
spirits that are illicitly made and sold are pretty free of industrial and culinary oversight
blood clams anyone who eats blood clams needs to be a little adventurous considering their
dramatic name however you'd have to be more than just adventurous to learn what we're about to tell
you concerning blood clams and still have them for lunch dinner or even a snack they're named
for the bright blood red color in their insides which is caused by higher levels of hemoglobin
it's estimated that 15 of people who eat blood clams suffered through some kind of infection
that's a one and a half chance out of 10 and while these odds still heavily favor healthy consumers
that's more like great odds for a medical procedure not a culinary consumption item during
a particularly polluted year in 1988 shanghai which is a huge market for blood clams banned
blood clams completely this was because over 300 000 people tested positive for hepatitis a and 31
people died because of consuming them eventually however the ban was lifted but buyer beware
blood clams or cockles as they're also known are still often found in polluted water living
in this water blood clams can filter 40 liters of it to secure their daily food this also means that
blood clams take in a great variety of viruses and bacteria along with hepatitis a cockles have
also been known to cause hepatitis e typhoid and dysentery with this impressive array of infections
many of which affect the blood and more than the odd fatality the aptly named blood clams
certainly seem to be out for blood there is good news though blood clams are often raised
in aquaculture farms and many reputable sources of blood clams go through de-purifying periods
so if you're sure your clams weren't harvested from polluted waters enjoy your adventure
another outlawed food kasumatsu is banned even in its most prolific market its home region of
sardinia a variant of a type of fermented goat milk cheese called pecorino kasumatsu is further
fermented by deliberately introducing fly larva to the cheese to initiate the decomposition stage
of fermentation if this doesn't sound appetizing to you wait till you find out how these maggots
contribute to the fermentation feeding on the cheese's proteins and fats the maggots digestive
secretions of the cheese which pass through them supposedly contribute to a smoother texture for
the casu matzu cheese making it smoother than the pecorino cheese on which it's based as a primarily
black market good kasumatsu often costs twice as much as regular pecorino cheese for consumers
there's no accounting for taste but imagine paying extra for the health risks what health risks you
ask well if the larvae survive your chomping and digestive system they may burrow holes in your
intestines for those with more delicate refined tastes there is a method to eat the kasumatsu
after supposedly killing all the larva it involves depriving them all of oxygen using a plastic bag
and is often also a way to separate them from the cheese feeling brave sanakji how do you feel about
eating octopus no maybe just the tentacles then while this might seem exotic to many cultures
it's actually quite common in others however some cultures take on eating octopus is definitely
bolder than others for instance let's look to korea a daring korean specialty often referred
to as live octopus tentacles sanakji could be more accurately described as raw fresh octopus
tentacles so fresh in fact that many suction cups on those tentacles are still functioning not only
does this mean that those tentacles can still move it also means that the suction cups can
tightly latch onto a diner's tongue lips or throat as you can imagine this holds considerable danger
for the inexperienced eater and aside from having the potential to be extremely painful could cause
a diner to fatally choke on a piece of tentacle while swallowing there have been fatalities
amongst sanakji diners anyone who insists on gobbling down these octopus tentacles would be
well advised to wait until their movements slow down a lot maybe also spend a little extra time
chewing this unconventional snack in particular make sure you've completely broken apart and
chewed through any suction pads on your bite-sized tentacle slice before attempting to swallow larb
while this unique dish sounds like a corruption or mispronunciation of lard that is in fact not the
case originating in laos larb is a raw meat salad that is often found in various parts of indochina
and southeast asia what type of meat you ask well that's up to the cook maybe today you get
raw beef maybe tomorrow you get raw pork maybe it's armadillo time you might even find yourself
munching on a raw goat meat salad starting to see what the problem is now because the meats used can
vary widely the same variety applies to the range of risks involved of course there are cooks and
in fact entire areas which limit the meats used in their larv dishes to one or two selections
however the risks associated with only a single type of raw meat can often be more than enough
for instance let's take a look at the consumption of larp made from wild boar meat 2019 saw almost
two dozen well-documented fatalities from eating wild boar meat larb in thailand the wild boar meat
caused hundreds of streptococcus infections 23 of which proved fatal across the ocean many miles
away the same type of meat in a larp salad also caused a trichonilosis infection earlier in 2016
affecting a dozen partygoers in california there are risks you take
and then there are risks you don't so under which of those two categories would you classify larb
chilled a monkey monkey brain the consumption of monkey brain as a dish is a widely debated topic
while there are well-documented anecdotes of monkey brain consumption in history up to the
20th century and some people alive today claim to have eaten this controversial dish there is debate
as to whether or not monkey brain are still served in traditional meals in the modern day
reports of monkey brain as a traditional dish abound about east asia although various
african countries are sometimes implicated in the context of ceremonial non-culinary
cultural consumption as well contributing to the confusion may be a strain of heresium erenaseus
known as lion's mane mushroom or also as monkey head mushroom in east asia because
of its superficial resemblance to the fur of some east asian primates consuming this mushroom shaped
like a monkey head covered with monkey-like fur substance while it's literally being called monkey
head may have given some tourists the impression that they had eaten monkey brain while in reality
they never did ironically eating monkey brain can prove extremely destructive for the human
brain since monkey brains may infect consuming humans with neurodegenerative diseases such as
the krutz fell jacob disease neurodegenerative diseases which affect the brain typically destroy
various brain functions and may include symptoms such as dementia before ultimately leading to
death talk about a no-brainer elderberries to the untrained eye elderberries can easily
be mistaken for blueberries more than that the two berry cousins share culinary and nutritional
similarities as well both berries are used in many traditional recipes and can also be made into
alcoholic beverages the main difference however lies in the toxicity elderberries produce enough
cyanogenic glycosides to make consuming them raw a dangerous matter elderberries are dangerous to
consume raw unripe undercooked or in the case of elderberry wine insufficiently fermented
elderberries are considered toxic but not necessarily poisonous you would be unlikely to
consume enough raw elderberries to die since you'd probably feel sick pretty quickly still symptoms
like diarrhea weakness vomiting dizziness nausea and other adverse events are probably things you
can live without if you absolutely have to eat something made with elderberries make sure they're
all fully ripe and very well cooked greenland shark the idea of eating sharks has long held
great mystique for some people not all shark eaters approach their dishes with a sense of
exoticism though for example the greenland shark is a staple of traditional consumption in iceland
it's not eaten right after it's caught however how long between catching a greenland shark and eating
it how does three to five months sound that's how long greenland shark meat needs to be hung
to dry after curing a fascinating animal that can live for centuries often without the aid of its
eyesight which is frequently lost to parasites the greenland shark also lacks a urinary tract system
much of the toxic waste inside the shark's body therefore needs to be filtered and excreted
through the shark's skin and flesh this filtration of toxic waste concentrates high amounts of
trimethylamine oxide and urea in the shark's skin and body hence the need to sometimes wait for
almost half a year or at least a quarter of one before eating a greenland shark from the date of
catching it eating greenland shark meat before it's been properly cured and dried can result
in severe illness confusion intoxication and even death if you eat enough of it
however even though it's called the greenland shark it's actually the national dish of iceland
the humor is probably not lost on you what this means for you though is that you could probably
order it from a reputable shop in iceland without risking any of the above still if you
don't speak icelandic how can you tell if a shop is reputable there might lie your next adventure
raw cashews cashews sound innocent enough i mean they're on the shelves of every grocery store
right they're pricier than some other nuts but if your finances are in good shape you could probably
have mini cupfuls a week without suffering any immediate problems in fact some east asian rice
based dishes become phenomenally tastier if you tip a cup of cashews onto your rice before
digging in not so fast though that mostly applies to the cashews you normally buy at the store store
cashews even those that aren't roasted or even labeled raw have been steamed enough to remove
the most dangerous chemical found in their true raw form urushiol the good news is that cashews
sans urushiol are the most common type of cashews being sold in most retail locations near you
you mostly need to watch out if you're directly harvesting cashews or buying them very close to
where they're traditionally cultivated otherwise don't worry too much about it and enjoy your nutty
treat if your salts minerals and blood pressure are all in great shape you can go nuts so to
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