Daily Quiz for July 30, 2019

[Mike Nolan]

Which of these foods are safe to eat raw?

[See the full post at: Daily Quiz for July 30, 2019]

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[BakerAunt]

I missed it. I had narrowed it down to two and chose the wrong one. There goes my streak....

[Mike Nolan]

A lot of people don't know that elderberries can't be eaten raw, though my grandmother drilled that one into us when we were kids. We've got several elderberry shrubs in the back yard but never get any, the birds gobble them down before they're purple, they're one of a cardinal's favorite foods and we usually have at least two nesting pairs in the yard.

[Joan Simpson]

I missed it .

[Italiancook]

When I took the quiz, I was certain there were 2 correct answers, so I missed it. I Googled to find that elderberries are poisonous if eaten in large enough quantity. I guess I never ate enough of them, but I did eat elderberries off the bush when I was a kid. They're quite bitter and I only had 1 or 2 a season. But if they're poisonous, why do online vendors sell Elderberry Jelly?

[Mike Nolan]

Raw elderberries contain compounds called lectins that can make you sick. A few years ago there was a family that was poisoned by drinking raw elderberry juice and wound up in the hospital, though as I recall nobody died.

Cooking elderberries breaks them down, as does fermenting them, so elderberry jelly and elderberry wine are both safe. Apparently birds aren't affected by lectins.

Many beans are also dangerous to eat raw, including kidney beans and lima beans. I'm not sure about white/navy beans, but you almost never see them in a soft raw state, they're usually sold dried.

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