UKC

So, as the saying goes "every day is a school day". Happily munching into a pack of almonds i chewed into one which was one of the most hideous things ive ever tasted. Like almond, supercharged, but horrendously bitter. I had to get it out of my mouth and after two hours can still taste it.

Turns out that the tree produces two types of almond, one sweet and one bitter, the bitterness being produced by cyanide. Whats more, eating a small amount of these bitter nuts can kill (although truth be told, how someone could even even half of one of these nasties is beyond me).

I wonder if there are any other daily foods which could kill, ignoring allergy sufferers of course who are a special case.

In reply to TheDrunkenBakers:

I've heard of people confusing daffodil bulbs for onions. The bulbs are quite toxic.

In reply to TheDrunkenBakers:

an aubergene could kill you, if you tried to swallow it whole

ive read that potatoes are poisonous even if cooked, but youd have to eat a few kgs

In reply to ow arm:

I know green spuds can cause illness, but have just discovered elderberries (best said in a french accent can be poisonous; they contain glycosides that, when metabolized, are converted into cyanide,

In reply to TheDrunkenBakers:

Ironically the red parts of rhubarb are safe while the green parts are poisonous. I wonder how many people got very ill finding that out? (would need to eat a lot to die, but it is possible).

In reply to TheDrunkenBakers:

I didnt think you got the mix of almonds on one tree? Although the wild ones can be processed apparently to be safe.
As for other nasties.
Dont chew cherry or apple seeds. Both also have cyanide although think needs high quantities.
Potatoes can be poisonous, if they are green you are buggered.

In reply to TheDrunkenBakers:

Enough poppy seeds can give you a blood reading for opiates.

In reply to crayefish:

When my wife was little, she inadvertently killed her pet rabbit by feeding it rhubarb leaves - she though she was giving it a tasty treat

In reply to TheDrunkenBakers:

Nutmeg can be toxic if enough is eaten and there has been at least one fatality
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2045778/
Other side effects include agitation and psychosis.

In reply to ow arm:



Even water will kill you if you drink enough of it - something Homeopaths are very aware of!

In reply to higherclimbingwales:

Wouldn't they just dissolve water in water to cure you though?

In reply to Rob Exile Ward:

quite possibly. at least it would cure my thirst...oh, no, wiat, that's what beer is for!

In reply to TheDrunkenBakers:

Four homeless people recently died from drinking milk.

Apparently, the cow fell on them.

In reply to gd303uk:

interesting about the elderberries, i eat them raw, only a handfull at a time. but mainly i make wine from them, no cyanide poisoning so far.
cyanide is one of those toxins you can develop some tolerance to i think

other poisonous foods - parsnip leaves, thats why you never get them in a bunch like carrotts sometimes are

In reply to TheDrunkenBakers:

Rabbit will kill you if you ate nothing else due to toxin build up

In reply to balmybaldwin:
Not true, it actually causes malnutrition not toxin build up. Although rabbit is a good source of protein it lacks other nutrients

In reply to TheDrunkenBakers:

I believe elderBerries are fine, but any Other parts of elder are poisonous.

like yew. Berries good to eat, every Other part of tree toxic.

In reply to TheDrunkenBakers:

Cassava or Manioc is one of the staple foods in the tropics and if not prepared correctly contains cyanide.

As one of the posters above commented; you wonder how people discovered how to make it edible, you'd think they'd have just thought "that's just poisonous, we'll leave it well alone".

In reply to TheDrunkenBakers:

Eating about 6 Kilos of chocolate can kill a person. Though it would probably be easier to beat them to death with it.

In reply to richyfenn:


Where do I sign to become a tester for this?

In reply to Choss:


I thought I was the only person who ate these...

In reply to balmybaldwin:

Rabbit doesn't contain enough fat. Long term although it has protein you're system would deplete it's fat stores. Rabbit starvation I believe is the term

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabbit_starvation

My everyday killer food would be Japanese blow fish

In reply to tlm:


Oh i dont eat them, horribly Gelatinous texture.

I come across all sorts of mushrooms walking the dog, but arent brave enough to make an id and risk them.

In reply to Choss:

They are delicious! Just make sure that you spit out the seed... (ooo eeeerr missus)

In reply to TheDrunkenBakers:

Onions, raisins and chocolate are poisonous to dogs.
The pollen of lillies - the big white ones with the orange brown polleny wotsits - is fatally toxic to cats.
I can never remember which, but aspirin and ibuprofen are toxic to cats and dogs respectively, or is it the other way round?

In reply to Hat Dude:


Cassava can't contain that much cyanide, I haven't the first idea how to neutralise it but I know it makes tasty chips that don't turn me blue

jk

In reply to jkarran:


Bit of googling (Other search engines are available) produces this

http://www.cfs.gov.hk/english/multimedia/multimedia_pub/multimedia_pub_fsf_...

Are you still there jk?

jk? JK?

In reply to Hat Dude:

Interesting. Seems like the Cassava I've had abroad and that I buy here is the low toxicity sweet version and that making it physically edible (soft enough to eat) also renders it safe.

I'll let you know if I go blue and die next time I make chips
jk

In reply to TheDrunkenBakers:

I remember reading in the papers that a family was hospitalised from pretty much living on tuna. I think it was zinc poisoning.

In reply to nniff:


Bad for people too I was told.

In reply to TheDrunkenBakers:

Chocolate but i believe you have to eat kg's and kg's of the stuff.

In reply to TheDrunkenBakers:

Coconuts are almost always fatal if swallowed whole

In reply to TheDrunkenBakers:

nutmeg