You Can't Make This Stuff Up!

[Lee Stewart]

Infamous for being both a Japanese delicacy and potentially lethal, fugu, also known as pufferfish, can only be prepared by specially trained chefs. The internal organs of the pufferfish contain a deadly poison, tetrodotoxin, which is 1,200 times stronger than cyanide and can paralyze the body’s muscles – every few years a death is recorded.

[Lee Stewart]

With a name as ominous as blood clams, you might expect there to be danger involved. However, the molluscs’ red color, caused by high levels of haemoglobin (the protein that makes blood red), is not what makes them risky. It's because they're often eaten raw and have a track record of spreading diseases including hepatitis A, typhoid and dysentery. They must be boiled for long enough to kill any bacteria.

[Lee Stewart]

If you love to snack on cashew nuts, you may be surprised to see them on this list. But in their raw, unprocessed state, cashews contain urushiol which is a chemical also found in poison ivy. It causes skin rashes and can be lethal if ingested in high doses. It's a good job the type you find in the grocery store are cooked at a high heat at least once before sale. Cashews might still be labeled as raw if they haven't been flavored or roasted further, but they will have been treated and are safe to eat.

[Lee Stewart]

It has a bad reputation for having hallucinogenic properties and was banned in many European countries and the US for most of the last century. However, the botanical spirit absinthe, once accused of containing psychoactive chemicals, doesn’t have nearly enough to cause a negative effect. What’s really the most dangerous thing about it is its alcohol content which can be as high as 74% ABV (148 proof).

[Lee Stewart]

Have you ever wondered why we eat the sour stalks of rhubarb plants but not the leaves? The reason is the leaves contain high levels of oxalic acid. Spinach, chard and cocoa contain the compound too. In large doses it binds with calcium in the body forming crystals which can grow into painful kidney stones. In really large doses it depletes calcium levels so much it can cause death.

[Lee Stewart]

The Millennium Falcon-themed home theater

[markinnaples]

Some really interesting food info, thanks.

[Lee Stewart]

[Lee Stewart]

[Lee Stewart]