Dangerous Foods to Eat: A Test of Taste and Heart

Some cuisines take you on a wild adventure, while others bring it right to you. These dishes reveal a rich dynasty of daring spirits residing within the global gastronomy.

Food, once available only to those with impeccable hunting skills, became widely available about 12,000 years ago. While most cuisines benignly sit on your tables, certain dishes require sheer courage to gulp down. La Polo invites you to savour a bite ready to awaken the fiery strength within you.

1. Fugu, Pufferfish Delicacy in Japan
Origin: Dates back over 2300 years

Topping the list is a lethal dish from Japan carrying tetrodotoxin poison (1200 times more lethal than cyanide). Only highly trained and licensed chefs prepare it by meticulously removing toxic parts.

Fugu prepared in restaurants is quite safe to consume, as most deaths often occur when amateur fishermen try to give it a go. However, incorrectly prepared fugu blocks nerve and muscle action, leading to paralysis, and symptoms start to kick in as soon as 20 minutes. With no antidote, the dish presents an inherent risk with a subtle taste.

2. Death Cap Mushroom, Europe
Origin: 1866

Mushrooms are a widely enjoyed cuisine, but a few lookalike species contain lethal toxins. The Death Cap mushroom is responsible for 90% of mushroom-related fatalities. Ingesting even a small piece of it can be deadly, as it quickly leads to organ failure

Death Cap Mushrooms hold three major types of toxins: amatoxins, phallotoxins, and virotoxins. Amatoxins have resistance to cooking, freezing, and drying, making them extremely challenging to destroy. These toxins target the cells in your body (even cancerous) and destroy them without fail.

3. Hákarl, Fermented Shark in Iceland
Origin: 9th century

A fresh Greenland shark used for the dish contains augmented urea levels coupled with trimethylamine oxide (TMAO). TMAO converts into dangerous compounds once it enters our body. A traditional fermenting process is required to break down the toxins. Vikings introduced this process as a resourceful means of surviving the harsh conditions of Iceland.

Consuming improperly prepared hákarl develops severe alcohol intoxication effects. Even sledge dogs are left unable to stand after eating it raw. Due to the intoxication effect, a drunk person in Greenland is often called ‘shark-sick’.

4. Balut, Duck Embryo in the Philippines
Origin: 9-10 century

Balut is a popular street food in the Philippines. The dish is a popular duck egg possessing a partially developed embryo, incubated for around 21 days. This incubation period varies by region, affecting both the texture and the extent of embryo development.

If not freshly boiled, the cuisine can pose bacterial build-up along with food poisoning risks. An advanced embryonic stage can also cause unsettling images in the mind, building a psychological barrier.

5. Casu Marzu, Sardinia, Italy
Origin: more than 2000 years ago

Casu Marzu is prepared by infesting sheep’s milk cheese with live maggots! The name means ‘rotten cheese’ in the native language. The live insects essentially break down the fat present in the cheese, producing a pungent, creamy delicacy.

However, ingesting live larvae into your digestive system can lead to severe intestinal infection or allergic reactions. This delicacy is even banned in the EU due to its menacing nature! The cheese can only be eaten if the maggots are alive; otherwise, it is an indication of staleness.

6. Ackee Fruit, Caribbean
Origin: mid-to late 1700s

Ackee fruit is a Jamaican national fruit harbouring the toxins ‘hypoglycin A’ and ‘hypoglycin B’. This fatal poison naturally fades away once it ripens and falls from the tree. Despite the risks, the fruit is highly nutritious and is an excellent source of vitamins, minerals, fats, and proteins.

However, if someone dares to pick and consume the fruit directly from the tree, the following symptoms might occur:

Jamaican vomiting sickness, causing hypoglycaemia,
Vomiting,
Fatal seizures, or even
Coma

7. San-nakji, Live Octopus in Korea
Origin : (1392–1910)

San-nakji are freshly cut, still moving octopus tentacles that are a popular cuisine among experienced diners. The tentacles, as they are eaten, squirm inside your mouth. Necessary precautions include eating small pieces, chewing thoroughly, and avoiding pairing alcoholic beverages.

The suction in tentacles often tends to stick to the throat, causing asphyxiation (choking). San-nakji causes around half a dozen deaths annually, even among seasoned diners.

8. Tarantulas, Cambodia
Origin: 1970s

Deep-fried tarantulas are a highly sought-after source of protein in regions like Skuon, Cambodia. This culinary attraction came into existence during the Khmer Rouge era of famine. The legs are reportedly the most delicious part; they are crispy on the outside and offer soft meat inside.

Apart from the raw venomous content, even wrongly handling this dish is enough to cause you irritation due to the presence of fine hairs. Additionally, the abdomen and fangs should not be eaten if you want to avoid a bitter taste and injury.