4 delicious dishes but... dangerous for your health

You may not know it, but it is true that some popular dishes, loved by many people because of their delicious taste, can be life-threatening.

1. Puffer fish sushi

Puffer fish (some places call it toad fish, sea goby fish, chicken thigh fish) is a fish that lives in salt water more than fresh water. In Vietnam, there are nearly 70 different species of puffer fish, some are poisonous and some are not. The poisonous puffer fish that people eat usually has a 4-40cm body, is sturdy, has short fins, a large head, bulging eyes, and white meat.

Puffer fish sushi is a popular dish in many countries, especially Korea and Japan. Although this is a delicious dish, preparing puffer fish safely is not simple, just a little carelessness can cause death. In Japan, only professional chefs with licenses are allowed to prepare this dish due to the level of danger this dish.

The most toxic fugu is in the liver, pancreas, blood, gills, head and eggs. However, even the body of the fish is highly toxic, so many people who eat fugu meat are poisoned. The two main toxins in fugu are tetrodotoxin and hepatoxin. These toxins are very stable, if boiled at 100 degrees Celsius for 6 hours, the toxins will be reduced by half. That is the reason why many people are poisoned by eating dishes related to fugu.

Usually, after eating poisonous puffer fish, from 20 minutes to 3 hours, the victim will experience numbness in the lips and tongue, which then gradually spreads to the limbs. Other symptoms that may follow may include: headache, stomachache, arm pain, unsteadiness, severe vomiting, then difficulty breathing, coma, respiratory arrest... The victim may die after 1.5-8 hours.

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2. Baby taro porridge

Au Tau porridge is also known as poison porridge because it is cooked from Au Tau tubers. This dish of Ha Giang people is considered extremely nutritious, can help people eat it to relax tendons and bones, reduce muscle pain, bone pain, and even boils, especially for men because it increases their sexual desire.

However, the Au Tau root is extremely poisonous, which can cause the user's whole body to shrink and die. To cook this porridge, people have to soak this root in thick rice water, then simmer it for 4-5 hours until the poison is gone, the root becomes a thick paste. Then, they cook it into porridge. Au Tau porridge has a fatty, fragrant, spicy and especially bitter smell, typical of Au Tau root. A bitter taste, hard to swallow when first eaten, but after just a few spoonfuls, the mouth feels sweet, eating a lot becomes addictive.


However, if the Au Tau root is not soaked and simmered to remove all the toxins, it will be very dangerous to health, even life-threatening when eaten.

3. Raw oysters

Oysters are a type of seafood that is rich in protein, zinc, easy to digest and beneficial for the body's metabolism, helping to improve the health of both men and women. However, this type of seafood often lives in coastal areas and estuaries, so it can be contaminated with bacteria and parasites, including flukes.

If oysters are caught during the season when there is toxic algae, they can also be contaminated with toxic algae and cause poisoning and diarrhea for people who eat raw oysters.

According to the US Food and Drug Administration, oysters are one of the foods that cause a high risk of stroke. Raw oysters contain two disease-causing viruses: Norovirus and Vibrio. Norovirus can cause enteritis and gastritis, while Vibrio is a type of bacteria that causes cholera with symptoms such as high fever, septic shock, blistering skin, and even death due to blood infection.

People with liver disease, diabetes, leukemia... will be at higher risk of severe vibrio virus infection. Only cooking seafood, including oysters, can kill parasites and worms.

4. Nem chua

Nem chua is one of the dishes that many people love because of its special taste. Nem chua is made from raw pork, mixed with rice powder, garlic, chili, after 3 days of fermentation it can be eaten. However, because it is a dish made from pork, and not processed, nem chua can be infected with streptococcus suis.

According to the Ministry of Health, symptoms of streptococcus suis infection include high fever, often accompanied by chills, fatigue, body aches, headache, nausea and vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, and if severe, delirium, drowsiness, coma... and can lead to death. To avoid infection with streptococcus suis, people should avoid dishes made from undercooked pork such as nem chua, nem chao, blood pudding...

According to Young Knowledge - NM