Traditional Foods That Can Kill
I think most people are familiar with the Puffer Fish, or
Fugu, the delicacy adored by many Japanese and yet so poisonous the Emperor of
Japan is forbidden to eat it. While many of us may shake our heads at the thought
of eating something that with improper preparation could be fatal, Fugu isn’t
the only food that falls into the category of tasty-but-deadly.
I think, if you investigate, you’ll find many cultures consume
potentially dangerous foods. In my own, Jamaican, culture there are not one but
two traditional dishes that are prepared from poisonous plants. In fact, one of
those two is part of the national dish, and no, I’m not talking about the
salted cod…
The Ackee tree (Blighia
Sapida) originated in West Africa and is thought to have been brought to
the Caribbean on slave ships. Yes, the botanical name is in honor of Captain
Bligh, but that’s because he introduced the tree to the Royal Botanical
Society, rather than introducing the tree to the islands. In Jamaica the ackee
is, for the most part, treated with the utmost respect, because everyone knows
improper handling can be fatal. The fruit has to ripen on the tree, and shouldn’t
be picked until it’s fully opened. The seeds and the red filaments must be
removed before boiling, and the water it was cooked in must never be consumed.
The other perennial favorite in Jamaica made with a
dangerous plant is bammy, which are flat, dry, savory cakes made from bitter
cassava. All cassava has a certain amount of cyanide, but the bitter cassava
has far more than the sweet. The cassava has to be processed in some way to
eliminate the poison and, in the case of bammy the process involves grating the
tubers and soaking the coarse meal repeatedly before straining, molding and pressing
all the liquid out. Again, it’s the liquid that can do you in, but I’ve never
heard of anyone getting sick from eating bammy, so I doubt there’s much danger
involved.
Unfortunately, that’s not the case with ackee, as Jamaica sees
a few cases each year of people getting ill or dying from the consumption of
improperly prepared dishes. On my father’s side of the family very few members
can eat ackee, even when properly cooked. My grandfather developed an allergy
to it in his forties, my father and two of his siblings did too, but in their
thirties. I developed it in my twenties and, as a result, I’ve never even
considered giving it to my son. My allergy is so severe just lightly kissing my
husband after he’s eaten some brings on a bad reaction.
This may sound as scary to the uninitiated as the Fugu does,
but just a cursory search on the internet will show there are lots of
potentially dangerous foods many of us are eating every day. They include some
of my favorites, like nutmeg, potatoes, cherries, tomatoes and almonds. It’s
almost enough to make a woman go on a starvation diet…
Nah, I’m willing to take the risk because, well, I love my
food, and what a potentially delicious way to go!
So... nutmeg, potatoes, cherries, tomatoes and almonds are all potentially dangerous? Those are five of my very favorite foods, so I'm going to pretend I didn't just read that. ;)
ReplyDeleteVery interesting information!
It's all in the details, Jayne! For instance, with cherries it's the pits that are poisonous. With potatoes it's when they're green (and that's something I didn't realize. Now that I know, those go into the garbage!). You'd have to consume the equivalent of an entire nutmeg pod to feel the effects and I think it's the leaves and stems of the tomatoes that are dangerous. So I don't think we're in any immanent danger. Thank goodness!!!
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