Regarding the topic of dietary taboos, it has recently garnered significant attention from many netizens. One such claim states that eating potatoes with tomatoes or potatoes with eggs can lead to poisoning. Is this claim true or not?
Beetroot soup made with tomatoes and potatoes is a signature dish in Russian cuisine. Eggs and potatoes are also the most common ingredients in homemade salads. Therefore, the claim that "eating potatoes with tomatoes or potatoes with eggs can cause poisoning" is not factual.
However, there have indeed been reports online about an 8-year-old girl who, after eating potatoes and eggs cooked together, developed a full body rash, fainted near her school three hours later, and died on the way to the hospital. Subsequently, the rumor that "cooking eggs and potatoes together can be deadly" spread like wildfire in the local area. However, experts have debunked this claim.
So, what was the real cause of the young girl's poisoning and death in Chongqing?
—It's quite simple. Both sprouted potatoes and green tomatoes contain glycoalkaloids (solanine). After consuming either of these foods, symptoms can appear within 10 minutes to several hours. It begins with a scratchy and burning sensation in the throat and a burning feeling or pain in the upper abdomen, followed by gastroenteritis symptoms such as severe vomiting and diarrhea. Additionally, dizziness, headache, mild disorientation, and difficulty breathing can occur. In severe cases, death can result from cardiac failure or paralysis of the respiratory center.
Therefore, it's not that these two vegetables cannot be eaten together, but rather that one should avoid eating sprouted potatoes and green tomatoes. When cooking potatoes at home, if you find they have sprouted, you must not only remove the sprouts but also cut away the adjacent green parts of the potato. As for tomatoes, be careful not to purchase unripe green ones.