Eat and you may die: Fugu, Ackee, Sannakji and other deadly delicacies

Ackee, the national fruit of Jamaica contains a toxin called hypoglycin. Eating unripe Ackee fruit may result in the metabolic syndrome known as ‘Jamaican vomiting sickness’, which can cause severe vomiting, seizures, hypothermia, coma, and death.

This Japanese delicacy contains tetrodotoxin, a poison that is 1,200 times more lethal than cyanide. It paralyses the muscles while the victim remains fully conscious but is unable to breathe and dies from asphyxiation. There is no known antidote. Only specially qualified chefs with three or more years of training are allowed to prepare it.  

The Korean raw dish consisting of octopus tentacles poses a choking hazard and could be fatal. Octopuses are killed before preparing the dish, but due to the highly complex nervous system, the tentacles can still move and the suction cups along the tentacles have the power to attach to the insides of the victim's throat.  

This tropical root contains cyanide and must be properly cooked to reduce its toxicity. One of the prime sources of carbohydrates in the tropical region, the starchy roots contain toxic cyanogenic glycosides. It has to be prepared correctly to remove its toxicity. For most varieties, cooking in water and removing the water is sufficient to eliminate all toxicity. The cyanide is carried away in the processing water.

These are called so because of the red haemoglobin liquid inside the soft tissues.  These clams can carry pathogens carrying diseases like hepatitis A, typhoid, and dysentery.  Some styles of preparation, involving raw or partially cooked blood clams, can leave many pathogens present in your food.

Hakarl is fermented Greenland shark meat. Fresh meat of Greenland sharks or other sleeper sharks is poisonous because of its high uric acid and trimethylamine oxide content. If the curing is not done properly, the meat can be deadly, leading to severe food poisoning, with vomiting, intestinal distress and neurological impact.

This is Sardinian sheep milk cheese. During the fermentation process larvae of the cheese fly are introduced to the cheese to help break down the fats. When ingested, it is possible for the larvae to survive the stomach acid and remain in the intestine posing health risks.   

These are the dark purple fruits of the elder tree. Consuming raw elderberries, or the leaves, seeds, and bark of the tree, can cause nausea, vomiting, and severe diarrhoea due to the presence of cyanogenic glycosides. They should be properly cooked or processed before consumption.