Some of the world’s most tempting and common foods are served with a side of danger. Yes, they look delicious and even taste amazing, but they can also poison you if you’re not too careful. These 12 dangerous foods prove that what’s on your plate can sometimes be a real threat.
12. Soybeans
Raw soybeans may seem harmless, but they can actually be dangerous if not cooked properly. Soybeans contain natural chemicals like lectins and trypsin inhibitors that can stop your digestion and make you feel sick. They can also block your body from absorbing nutrients and even cause nausea. Cooking or fermenting soybeans can get rid of these dangers and even turn them into something healthy to eat.
11. Grapefruit
Beware…grapefruit can interfere with certain medications. This citrus fruit has compounds that mess with your body’s enzymes responsible for breaking down drugs. This results in medication levels skyrocketing to toxic levels in your body. Grapefruit can turn deadly when mixed with heart medications, blood thinners, and other common prescriptions.
10. Nutmeg
Yup, there could be something deadly hiding in your pantry right now, and we’re talking about this common spice. Just two teaspoons of nutmeg can be toxic because of myristicin, a compound that causes hallucinations, dizziness, confusion, and even seizures. From now on, stick to pinches or dustings, not spoonfuls, and you’ll be fine.
9. Elderberries
Elderberries can be a health booster, but only when properly prepared. Eating these berries raw can be risky or even toxic because they contain cyanogenic glycosides, which are compounds that release cyanide when digested. The same can be said for the leaves, stems, and seeds of the elderberry plant. The good news is cooking elderberries can destroy the toxins, making them useable for jams, teas, and syrups.
8. Rhubarb
Rhubarb is famous for making delicious spring-themed treats (hello, strawberry-rhubarb pie). But here’s the golden rule: stalks only, leaves off! Only the stalks are edible and the leaves are toxic and should never be ingested. Rhubarb leaves have oxalic acid, known to cause breathing issues, nausea, and kidney failure. It may take a lot to be fatal, but small amounts can make you sick.
7. Red Kidney Beans
Here’s another common pantry staple with a dangerous secret. Undercooked or raw red kidney beans contain lectin, and this causes symptoms like vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, and severe headaches. Here’s the kicker: slow cookers aren’t hot enough to get rid of the toxin. To stay safe, soak the beans for several hours and boil for at least 10 minutes.
6. Sannakji (Live Octopus)
This Korean dish puts the “fresh” in fresh seafood…literally. How? By serving baby octopus while it’s still moving. The danger here is not poison, but choking to death. The tentacles can latch onto your throat with their suction cups, making it impossible to breathe. Culinary daredevils chew fast to stay safe, but that’s easier said than done when your food is still fighting back.
5. Ackee Fruit
This is Jamaica’s national fruit and its innocent look might fool you. But here’s the truth: unripe ackee fruit has hypoglycin, a toxic compound that could cause a life-threatening drop in blood sugar levels, leading to coma or death. The fruit is safe to eat when it naturally opens on the tree and the black seeds and red portions are removed.
4. Casu Marzu (Maggot Cheese)
Originated in Sardinia, Italy, Casu Marzu is a traditional, strange cheese that contains live maggots. The maggots eat the cheese and make it very soft and creamy. However, this makes it a “rotten food” by legal standards and increases the risk of food poisoning because of harmful bacteria. It’s now banned in many places but some Sardinians still eat it as part of their culture and traditions.
3. Cassava
Cassava, a popular starchy root vegetable in developing countries, also holds a dark secret—cyanide. Improperly prepared cassava has compounds that release cyanide gas when digested, causing cognitive impairment, paralysis, or even death. Proper soaking, peeling, and boiling are required to make cassava safe to eat.
2. Death Cap Mushroom
The death cap mushroom is one of the deadliest mushrooms in the world. It’s native to Europe, but has spread to North America, Australia, Asia, and other regions. Death caps contain amatoxins, which are powerful enough to destroy liver and kidney cells. Death caps look similar to edible mushrooms, making it easy to mistake the former for a safe variety. So yes, death caps should never be eaten.
1. Fugu (Japanese Pufferfish)
Fugu is a famous Japanese delicacy that contains a powerful poison called tetrodotoxin. It’s a thousand times more toxic than cyanide and just a tiny amount can make it impossible to breathe and stop your muscles from working. Only expert chefs are allowed to prepare fugu in Japan, but accidents still happen.