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Pufferfish
For some risky restaurant business. Pufferfish is a Japanese delicacy and something akin to Russian roulette in the world of food. Its highly poisonous flesh contain names tetrodotoxin, which is 1200 times more toxic than cyanide. Yum. Normally, people can’t stay alive if they eat this fish. Yet Japanese chefs are trained to remove the poisonous parts for the $200 delicacy named Fugu. That’s pricey. It’s almost completely banned in the US. There are only a few authorized places that sell it.
Cazumarzu
Another food ban in the US. Is kazumarzu, which is rotten cheese in Italian. If you ever feel like trying it, head to Sardinia, Italy. Basically, it’s some sheep milk cheese. Special flies are allowed to leave eggs in it that are left in the cheese for 40 days. This delicacy has some live maggots that take care of decomposing the cheese, giving it that distinctive texture and spicy flavor. It’s banned in the US. For sanitary reasons, you think. Unlike soft and creamy, kazumarzu kirpe is known to be the world’s hottest cheese. Just like any regular cheese, it’s made from milk. Its main difference is that it stays fresh for up to 20 years. The milk is quite special, too. The cows, which are actually a crust between cows and yaks, eat a variety of mountain herbs. Cheese made from the savory milk has unique flavor.
Aki
National Jamaican fruit aki has a unique taste. It’s quite mild, its texture is buttery and creamy, and it tastes just like scrambled eggs. It’s safe to eat aki only as long as it’s fully ripe. Beware though the only edible part is the white, creamy flesh itself. Toxic pink flesh and black seeds are a total. One of the traditional Jamaican dishes with this fruit is called aki and saltfish. Well, at least it’s codfish, not Pufferfish.
Elderberry
Another thing that should be 100% ripe in order to be safe is elderberry. These berries are quite famous, though you can find them in pies, syrups, teas, jams, you name it. Process these berries properly though, since they contain cyanide, fully ripe and cooked berries aren’t dangerous. That’s good to know. Actually, almost all the pits and stones contain cyanide. Your favorite cherries have it too. The amount is small and isn’t likely to cause any harm, but still, try not to swallow them. Same with peaches, plums and apricots. Just don’t chew on them for too long.
Sanak Cheese
Now, if you’re a fan of seafood, you probably want to try some sanak cheese. It’s some seasoned baby octopus tentacles. Well, the problem is that these are still alive. Those who have never tried this Korean dish claim the tentacles can still move on the plate and can stick to the inner part of your mouth since the suction function is maintained.
Greenland Sharks
Another fun food fact Greenland sharks don’t have any urinary tract, and all the waste they produced is basically filtered through flesh and skin, so their flesh is toxic. Sounds like a good reason not to eat them. But not in Iceland. Nope. Cockroach, which is processed shark meat, is first hung to dry for three to five months. In the end, you get something like ammonia smelling fermented fish with a jelly texture that reminds of wet bread.
Cassava
Cassava is a poisonous tropical root of two types. The sweet variation does contain some cyanide, but it’s enough to cook it to reduce the toxic content to a safe level. To get rid of all the toxins in bitter cassava, it’s necessary to grate the root, then soak it and finally cook properly to make it edible. This root is very starchy and its flavor is really subtle. Cassava can be used just like potatoes, mashed, boiled or fried, and I’d like a sight of cassava, please, and hold.
Rhubarb
The cyanide rhubarb doesn’t seem to fit in this list of notorious dishes, but it actually has its downsides. Its leaves are super toxic, containing oxalic acid, and should never, ever be used for cooking, baking or whatever you want to do. If you ever try to eat one, the least serious consequences are a burning sensation all over the mouth, nausea and breathing problems.
Haggis
If you live in the States and you’re under 47, chances are you’ve never tried haggis. Since it was banned almost a half a century ago, this Scottish pudding is made of a full range of sheep’s inner parts. We’ll spare you the details, plus some oatmeal, a lot of minced onions, sew it just don’t ask. And some broth. It’s quite crumbly and coarse, and it’s also spicy. It’s usually served with mashed potatoes or mashed turnip on the sides. Well, at least it’s not mashed cassava.
Green Potatoes
By the way, potatoes aren’t that harmless either. It all depends on whether they’re ripe or not. So called green potatoes are full of toxins, and potato sprouts contain solanine, which is quite toxic. Same with green almonds and cashews that are full of cyanide, if not ripe enough. Luckily, the nuts we get at the supermarkets are well processed, which means they’re completely safe.
There’s one bistro in Bangkok where they’ve been cooking the same beef and noodle soup for 45 years. Literally the same. It’s been simmering for over four decades. The broth has never been thrown away. It’s always kept overnight for the next day’s soup. They never wash the pan to keep the unique flavor. There’s a massive grease rim around that huge pan, formed as a result of 45 years nonstop simmering spillovers. Please, be my guest.
Chinese Century Eggs
Chinese century eggs aren’t white and yellow. They’re black and gray when you peel them, and the outside color is brownish green. To cook this savory Chinese delicacy, all you need is some tea, quick lime, salt, wood ashes and some water to mix it all together. Dip the raw eggs in this paste and roll them in rice husks so they won’t stick to each other. Let it sit for 100 years. Nah, just kidding. Ten days are enough. When it’s hot for cold weather, it may take up to 30 days.
Urumiit
Hey, don’t go. It gets better. Bird dropping seemed no delicacy, but in Greenland, there’s a local dish actually based on them. It’s called urumiit, says here, and is made of termagant droppings. They collect them in winter and when they’re dry, and cook them together with some rancid sea oil and some sea meat, the droppings, cooked this way, taste somewhat like gorgonzola. Check, please.
Excessive Eating of Fish
Surprisingly harmless tuna can be pretty dangerous. Big fish live a long life in the ocean. The problem is the mercury level in oceans has significantly risen over the last several decades, and the fish absorb it into their flesh. If you eat a lot of tuna or any other big ocean fish, you risk mercury toxicity. It’s not that you should stop eating it, just monitor the weekly consumption.
Tuna Eyeballs
As for tuna, their eyeballs are quite a popular delicacy. In China and Japan, tuna eyeballs need to be boiled before eating, thank goodness. And some seasoning is required, too. If you nail it, you’ll have a delicacy that tastes like squid and stares back at you. Hey, on the good side, it costs less than a dollar.
Red kidney beans
Red kidney beans are actually somewhat poisonous, too. You might have never noticed or even known that, but it’s because we eat all of them. Well processed, cooked and baked beans expose no danger. While the raw kidney beans have a toxic protein in them, in order to get rid of it, you got to first soak them, well, preferably overnight, and change the water before boiling. When they are soft, they’re nothing but a great source of nontoxic proteins and other nutrients.
Tarantula
In Cambodia, you can try a crunchy, crispy snack that tastes a bit like crab. It’s deep fried and seasoned. The main ingredient is a tarantula. Now, this doesn’t quite sound like a lunch.
Gaeng Kai Mot Daeng
This soup is definitely scrumptious. The taste is sharp yet delicate, and it tastes just like shrimps. Well, this traditional layocian dish sounds really cool until you realize it’s made of ant eggs to give it a bit of sourness, they also tend to add a few tiny ants.
Huitlacoche
In Mexico, you don’t throw away corn. Kernels turn black because they’re rotten. You keep have never noticed or even known that, but it’s because we eat all of them. Well processed, cooked and baked beans expose no danger. While the raw kidney beans have a toxic protein in them, in order to get rid of it, you got to first soak them, well, preferably overnight, and change the water before boiling. When they are soft, they’re nothing but a great source of nontoxic proteins and other nutrients. In Cambodia, you can try a crunchy, crispy snack that tastes a bit like crab. It’s deep fried and seasoned. The main ingredient is a tarantula. Now, this doesn’t quite sound like a lunch. Now, this soup, whose name I won’t even try to pronounce, is definitely scrumptious. The taste is sharp yet delicate, and it tastes just like shrimps. Well, this traditional layocian dish sounds really cool until you realize it’s made of ant eggs to give it a bit of sourness, they also tend to add a few tiny ants. In Mexico, you don’t throw away corn. Kernels turn black because they’re rotten. You keep