8 Popular Poisonous Foods
Introduction: What foods are poisonous? In fact, we eat some toxin-carrying foods every day, and food poisoning incidents are also common. Therefore, for the safety of yourself and your family, it is necessary to know about some common poisonous foods in the kitchen. The following introduces 8 common poisonous foods.
One, Cherry Leaves and Seeds
Cherries are very common fruits that can be used for cooking, winemaking, or eaten raw. They belong to the same family as plums, apricots, and peaches. The leaves and seeds of all these fruits contain extremely toxic compounds. Almonds are also a member of this family, but it is the only fruit that is primarily harvested for its seeds.
If cherry seeds are crushed, chewed, or even slightly damaged, they will produce hydrogen cyanide. So the next time you eat cherries, remember not to suck or chew the cherry pits.
Two, Almonds
Almonds are one of the most useful and amazing seeds. Their unique flavor and excellent cooking suitability have made them the most popular ingredient in pies for centuries. The most flavorful almonds are bitter almonds. Almonds have the richest aroma and are popular for many centuries. However, there is a problem: almonds contain cyanide.
Bitter almonds must be detoxified before eating. Despite this, some countries still sell bitter almonds illegally. New Zealand is one of them. Also, you can use the almonds from apricot kernels; their taste and toxicity are similar. Heating can remove the toxicity of almonds. In fact, you may not know that it is illegal to sell raw almonds in the United States now, so the almonds you buy now have been heated to remove toxins and bacteria.
Three, Mushrooms
We have all heard of poisonous fungi and know they are toxic. Poisonous fungi are "toadstools". Although poisonous mushrooms are relatively easy to identify, it's not always the case. We should be cautious about eating any mushrooms of unknown origin.
You can check carefully to determine if a mushroom is poisonous: the cap of a non-poisonous mushroom should be flat without protrusions, and it should have pink or black gills (poisonous mushrooms often have white gills). Also, the gills should grow on the cap, not the stem. You should remember that although this identification knowledge usually applies to many types of mushrooms, it is not an absolute truth. Of course, if you are not sure, it is better not to eat it.
Four, Apple Seeds
Like cherries and almonds, apple seeds also contain cyanide, but the amount is much less than the first two. Apple seeds can be accidentally eaten, but you will only feel unwell if you eat a lot of them.
An apple seed will not kill you, but it is entirely possible to die from poisoning if you eat enough. It is recommended not to hold apple-eating contests. By the way, if you want to eat an apple but find a worm in it, hopefully not half a worm, you can put the apple in a bowl of salt water, and the worm will die.
Five, Castor Oil Seeds
Castor oil was one of the many "headache" foods of our childhood. Castor oil is often added to candies, chocolates, and other foods. Many people still eat castor oil now. Fortunately, the castor oil we buy is a processed and safe food, but castor beans are deadly.
A single castor bean can kill a horse. Its toxicity comes from ricin, a substance so toxic that workers harvesting castor beans must follow strict regulations to avoid accidental deaths. Despite this, many workers harvesting castor beans are still accidentally poisoned.
Six, Rhubarb
Rhubarb is an inconspicuous plant that can be made into some of the best-tasting puddings and is very easy to grow indoors.
Rhubarb is also a magical plant—besides the unknown toxicity on its leaves, they also contain a corrosive acid. When rhubarb leaves are mixed with water and baking soda, its corrosiveness becomes even stronger. The stems of rhubarb are edible and taste great, and the roots can be used to make laxatives and antidotes.
Seven, Pufferfish
Pufferfish is highly toxic; 1 gram of tetrodotoxin can kill 500 people. In Japan, pufferfish chefs must be well-trained and must pass an exam to obtain a professional certificate. The training takes two to three years. To pass the exam, chefs must first take a written test and then demonstrate their cutting skills. The final exam includes the chef eating the pufferfish he has cut. Only 30% of people can pass the exam. This does not mean that others were poisoned by eating the pufferfish they cut, but they did not pass the first two exams. Only the meat of the pufferfish is edible because the toxicity in the meat is low, and tetrodotoxin may cause a tingling sensation in the mouth.
Eight, Elderberry
The elderberry tree is very beautiful and quite large. The tree is full of small, fragrant flowers. These flowers can be used to make elderberry wine and soda.
People sometimes flatten these flowers and fry them to eat. However, this is actually risky. The roots and some other parts of the elderberry tree are highly toxic and can cause severe stomach problems. So the next time you pick elderberries to eat, make sure you are only eating the flowers.