Here is a concise summary of the article:
**Title:** 16 Exotic Foods That Can Actually Kill You
**Summary:**
This article highlights 16 exotic foods from around the world that are potentially deadly due to toxicity, improper preparation, or disease risk. The list includes:
1. Fugu (blowfish with neurotoxin tetrodotoxin)
2. Hakarl (fermented Greenland shark with toxic substances)
3. Ackee (fruit with hypoglycin, causing low blood sugar)
4. Cassava (root releasing cyanide if uncooked/under-fermented)
5. Pangium Edule (fruit with hydrogen cyanide, requiring 40-day preparation)
6. San-nakji (live octopus, posing choking hazard)
7. Casu marzu (maggot-infested cheese, risking intestinal infestation)
8. Hot dogs (top cause of food-related choking deaths in children under 3)
9. Absinthe (liquor with psychoactive properties, potentially inducing hallucinations)
10. Death Cap Mushroom (causing liver, kidney, and heart damage)
11. Blood Clams (carrying diseases like typhoid, hepatitis A, and dysentery)
12. Cherry Seeds (containing hydrogen cyanide, though requiring large quantities to be fatal)
13. Rhubarb Leaves (causing kidney failure due to high oxalic acid)
14. African Bullfrog (whole consumption risking kidney failure from toxic skin and organs)
15. Elderberries (leaves, twigs, and seeds causing nausea and severe sickness)
16. Raw Cashews (containing potentially fatal urushiol in large quantities, though not present in steamed/processed cashews)
**Note:** The article aims to inform and entertain, encouraging readers to share their thoughts and potential omissions in the comments.
Here are the key facts extracted from the text, without opinions, numbered and in short sentences:
**Fugu (Blowfish)**
1. Fugu is a fish highly regulated in Japan due to its toxicity.
2. The fish contains a neurotoxin called tetrodotoxin.
3. Tetrodotoxin is 1,200 times more toxic than cyanide.
4. One fugu contains enough toxin to kill someone if not prepared properly.
**Hakarl (Fermented Shark)**
5. Hakarl is a fermented Greenland shark dish from Iceland.
6. If not prepared correctly, it can be toxic due to substances like urea in the shark's skin.
**Ackee**
7. Ackee is a fruit common in West Africa and Jamaica.
8. Unripe ackee flesh contains the toxin hypoglycin.
9. Hypoglycin can cause dangerously low blood sugar (hypoglycemia).
**Cassava**
10. Cassava root is native to South America.
11. Uncooked or unfermented cassava releases an enzyme that turns a chemical into cyanide.
12. Improperly cooked cassava can cause acute cyanide intoxication.
**Pangium Edule (Football Fruit)**
13. Pangium Edule is a fruit that must be boiled and fermented for 40 days to remove hydrogen cyanide.
14. The fruit and its seeds contain hydrogen cyanide if not prepared correctly.
**San-nakji (Raw Octopus)**
15. San-nakji is a Japanese dish of raw, killed octopus.
16. The octopus's tentacles can still twitch and potentially stick to a diner's esophagus.
17. This has caused fatalities in the past.
**Casu Marzu (Maggot-Infested Cheese)**
18. Casu Marzu is an Italian cheese containing live maggots.
19. The maggots can jump up to 6 inches.
20. If ingested, the maggots can cause intestinal problems, nausea, vomiting, and bloody diarrhea.
**Hot Dogs**
21. Hot dogs are a leading cause of food-related choking deaths in children under three in North America.
22. The cylindrical shape of hot dogs contributes to the choking hazard.
**Absinthe**
23. Absinthe is a liquor containing woodworm, fennel, and anise.
24. The woodworm ingredient has psychoactive properties, potentially causing hallucinations.
**Death Cap Mushroom**
25. The Death Cap Mushroom is found primarily in Europe.
26. Consuming the mushroom can lead to abdominal pain, vomiting, liver, kidney, and heart damage.
**Blood Clams**
27. Blood Clams are often boiled and eaten quickly, potentially retaining diseases.
28. Diseases associated with Blood Clams include typhoid, hepatitis A, and dysentery.
**Cherry Seeds**
29. Cherry Seeds contain the poisonous compound hydrogen cyanide.
30. A person would need to ingest hundreds of seeds to reach a lethal dose.
**Rhubarb**
31. Rhubarb leaves contain high amounts of oxalic acid.
32. Consuming rhubarb leaves can lead to kidney failure, trouble breathing, diarrhea, eye pain, and red urine.
**African Bullfrog**
33. In some regions, the entire African Bullfrog is eaten, including toxic skin and organs.
34. Consuming the frog can lead to kidney failure due to toxins in its skin and organs.
**Elderberries**
35. Elderberry leaves, twigs, and seeds are toxic if ingested.
36. Ingestion can lead to nausea and severe sickness.
**Cashews**
37. Raw, unprocessed cashews may contain urushiol, a potentially fatal chemical in large quantities.
38. Commercially sold "raw cashews" have been steamed to remove urushiol.