The Top 13 Most Dangerous Foods in The World

What's better than eating? In many countries, food culture is deeply rooted in our lives, perhaps that's why it's quite difficult for us to imagine a food that represents a real risk for those who eat it. Instead, around the world, there are several foods of this type, ingredients that, if not treated properly or consumed following the correct rules, can lead to tragic consequences. No, not only intoxication but also poisoning, suffocation and even death. Do you think we're exaggerating? You'll change your mind after this journey to discover the most dangerous foods in the world.

1. Fugu Fish (Japan)

Fugu fish, better known by its colloquial name of puffer fish, is a friendly sea creature until it reaches your plate. In Japan it is considered a very delicious food, but it is also one of the most dangerous in the world: the animal, in fact, contains tetrodotoxin in its innards, which is a lethal substance. If the puffer fish is not carefully treated and prepared in such a way as to render the meat harmless, the risk of death for those who consume it is very high. Precisely for this reason, not everyone can cook fugu fish, but only those who undergo very long training that can last for years and obtain a special license that authorizes them to handle and serve it. For this reason, in addition to being dangerous, fugu is also one of the most expensive foods in the world.

2. Echizen-Kurage (Japan)

We remain in Japan for another potentially lethal specialty: it is called Echizen – Kurage and it is the largest jellyfish in the world with its impressive dimensions that can reach two meters in diameter and 300 kg in weight. Its scientific name is Nemopilema nomurai, but it is also known as Nomura's jellyfish, it is used in numerous dishes of Japanese cuisine but only and exclusively boiled and cleaned with extreme care. If it is cleaned badly, or if it is not cooked well and remains raw, it is as lethal as the puffer fish.

3. Fire Paan (India)

Born in a small shop in Rajkot, India, brought to the limelight by a documentary on the American version of the History Channel and exploded on social media thanks to a video that went viral, fire paan has been elected the most dangerous street food in the world. It is a sort of roll made with an Indian palm leaf called betel, stuffed with sugar, dried fruit and spices soaked in alcohol which is set on fire and inserted still flaming into the mouth of the customer by the street vendor himself. Contrary to what you might think, the most dangerous part is not the flame – although this is not exactly a safe practice – but the palm leaf that acts as a wrapper: if chewed, in fact, it can cause infections and in the long run even cancer.

4. Nakji Octopus (Korea)

Sannakji is a typical Korean dish made with raw octopus, in particular the small octopus called nakji: apparently harmless, this animal is actually extremely dangerous to eat. In particular, the octopus's suckers are dangerous, as they remain active even after the animal's death and even after cooking. This means that if the octopus, whether cooked or raw, is not chewed very well and for a long time to ensure that the suckers are completely destroyed, the suckers could stick to the throat, causing suffocation. The risk is made even higher by the fact that octopus is very often served raw, seasoned with sesame seeds and oil, with the tentacles still moving.

5. Casu Martzu (Italy)

Casu martzu, a particular Sardinian cheese known because it is subjected to colonization by the larvae of the cheese fly (hence the name "rotten cheese" or "cheese with worms") during its maturation process. In short, the flies lay eggs in the cheese, which then transform into larvae that feed on the pecorino cheese, transforming the paste in a homogeneous way, making it extremely tasty, soft and buttery. As you can imagine, the problem that makes the cheese dangerous are precisely the larvae: it is said, in fact, that once ingested they could continue to live during digestion, causing serious gastrointestinal problems. In reality it is a sort of legend because there are no real documents that attest to even a single case of this kind, but for safety the European Union has prohibited its production and marketing due to hygiene and health regulations.

6. Ackee (Jamaica)

It is the most representative fruit of Jamaica, but also one of those that creates the most problems for tourists: it is called ackee and it is a truly unique fruit, with a peel that goes from green to bright red when ripe and an interior with large seeds and yellow fleshy pulp that surrounds them. What many tourists do not know is that it should never be eaten unripe or raw, because inside the ackee there is opoglycin A, a poisonous substance that causes above all continuous vomiting, but also blurred vision and in the most serious cases convulsions. The ackee is only eaten ripe, that is when it opens naturally, and after having boiled it for a few moments: this is how it is used a lot in Jamaican cuisine, especially in the traditional saltfish dish. Yet there are still many tourists who are not informed about the ackee, so much so that the discomfort caused by the fruit has become a real syndrome called Jamaican Vomiting Sickness.

7. Mochi (Japan)

They probably never seemed dangerous when you ate them at a restaurant, yet Japanese mochi claim more victims than you can imagine. These small and delicious sweets, balls of glutinous rice crushed and pounded to obtain a soft white paste, are prepared with various types of filling (red beans, ice cream, creams) and in Japan they are typically eaten on New Year's Eve. But what makes them so dangerous? The problem is their rubbery consistency that makes them difficult to chew, so much so that in recent years it seems that in Japan there have been a high number of deaths from choking caused by mochi, especially among the over 65s who have greater difficulty chewing the sticky rice paste.

8. Cassava (South America, Africa, Asia)

Manioc or cassava is a tuber grown mainly in South America (but is also found in Africa and Asia) and is considered very precious because tapioca is obtained from it; in South America, practically everything is made with manioc because the tuber is rich in carbohydrates, gluten-free and very versatile. But it can also become extremely dangerous. The leaves and roots of manioc contain a series of toxic and poisonous substances, including cyanide, which can only be neutralized through careful cleaning and cooking. If manioc is eaten raw, it is fatal, a problem that unfortunately still occurs too often in the countries where this food is grown.

9. Cashews

This is one of the items on our list that will most confuse you: since when are cashews dangerous? Actually, they are, but not the ones we are used to finding on supermarket shelves or in the bowls brought with appetizers. These cashews that you eat and buy are strictly pre-cooked, steamed and toasted, therefore perfectly safe, the problem arises only if cashews are consumed raw because, in addition to many beneficial nutritional properties, they also naturally contain urushiol, the same substance as poison ivy that causes skin rashes on contact, but if ingested can lead to death.

10. Elderberries

Elderberry is a plant that grows spontaneously in the woods, characterized by beautiful white flowers in clusters (also edible like a good part of the plant ) that then transform into succulent black-purple berries that are used in the kitchen to obtain jams, syrups and liqueurs. You have to be very careful when talking about elderberries: first of all they are easily confused with those of another poisonous plant called ebbio, secondly they should never be eaten raw. Uncooked elderberries (even more so if not very ripe) contain toxic substances that can lead to nausea, vomiting and diarrhea: they are neutralized only by cooking at temperatures above 176°F/80°C.

11. Monkey Brain (Asia and Africa)

Many may remember it only as one of the most iconic scenes of the many films of the Indiana Jones franchise (specifically The Temple of Doom) but in reality it is a real habit of some countries in Asia and Africa. What are we talking about? Monkey brains, which can be eaten boiled, baked and even raw, a very dangerous food because it can transmit fatal encephalopathies including Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. To be fair, it should be noted that, while there are many historical sources of this practice from several centuries ago, there are fewer testimonies that it is still used to prepare and serve it in contemporary times, also because in many countries it has become illegal (for example in China). And fortunately, there are no updated photos.

12. Fesikh (Egypt)

Fermented foods are very common throughout the world, even in the U.S. if we have some illustrious examples, but there is one that is particularly dangerous. It is fesikh, a traditional Egyptian fish-based dish that is prepared with the fermented, salted and dried pulp of the grey mullet to be eaten on the occasion of the Spring Festival of Shem-el Nessin. The process of creating this product is complex and first involves a drying phase in the sun, then a fermentation treatment with salt that lasts up to 10 days and finally preservation in brine. Health authorities warn consumers because, if the fish is not fermented correctly and above all cleaned carefully once removed from the brine, it risks containing bacteria that, once ingested, can cause food poisoning.

13. Hakarl (Iceland)

It is one of the fermented foods considered the most disgusting and smelly in the world, but the reason for its unbearable taste and smell is precisely to make it safe from possible poisoning. Hakarl is an Icelandic specialty, a very particular preparation reserved only for strong stomachs and noses of steel: it is rotten shark meat, buried for six months until it reaches the perfect state of putrefaction, that is, it must be rubbery, rotten and smell of ammonia, so strong that not even many Icelanders have ever had the courage to try it. There is a very specific reason, in fact, why shark meat is subjected to this treatment: it cannot be eaten fresh because it is toxic, as the shark expels urine directly through its body (it practically sweats it), which is why the meat becomes impregnated with uric acid, which can only be eliminated through a fermentation process.