That's Deadly Poison!

Would you consider ingesting something that could kill you? Would you eat poisonous material willingly? For example, presented with the opportunity, would you try fugu, sashimi puffer fish as it is served in Japan? The fish's skin and some of it's internal organs contain a toxin that is deadly to humans. Fugu is prepared by only the most experienced sushi chefs who must wear gloves to avoid poisoning themselves. One errant slip of a blade, a punctured organ, and the customer (that's you) carks it.

The thrill of possibly dying at lunch aside, there are poisons you probably do consume on a regular basis. All of the stone fruits, for example, contain cyanide in their pits. This group includes peaches, plums, nectarines, almonds, and apricots. The seeds of apples, pears, and quince contain the same. Thankfully you'd have to eat something like your weight in apple cores to risk getting sick. Rhubarb also contains a toxin, though only in the leaves and, again, in pretty small amounts. It is enough to scare people a bit. As a child I was told eating the soft bit out of a peach pit could kill me. Naturally I had to try it. It tasted awful and I'm still alive.

The same fears once surrounded a whole group of the plants we eat now. There was a time when tomatoes, potatoes, capsicum (that's all peppers/chilies), and eggplant were all considered deadly. This belief, reasonably enough, was based on the fact that they are all members of the solanaceae family, more commonly known as the nightshade family.



Deadly nightshade, the most famous member of the family, is a shrubby plant that grows in Europe, Africa, Asia, and North America. The little, round, black, shiny berries look quite attractive and have sometimes been mistaken for wild blueberries. A handful of these berries will kill you. A suck on the root will kill you. A munch on a single leaf will kill you. A highlight of some of the symptoms of nightshade poisoning: blurry vision, dizziness, staggering, headache, rash, cotton mouth, slurred speech, constipation, discombobulation, hallucinations, delirium, spasms, and, of course, death.

It was with the above in mind, recognizing that tomato, potato, capsicum, and eggplant are members of the solanaceae family, that tomatoes were originally dubbed “wolf peaches.” The name is reminiscent of the pretty fruits which were intentionally laced with poison and then fed to European wolves as a form of population control. Eggplants, a nightshade native of Southeast Asia was not treated as a foodstuff in North America until about a century ago. Potatoes, one of the world's most cultivated crops, was eyed so suspiciously in France that something of a PR campaign was launched to convince to populace it was safe to eat. I don't know for sure, but it's no leap to imagine that the first old world explorers to eat a habanero thought they were going to die.

Obviously we've got over our collective fears. Most of us, anyway. I've met a few people who maintain that eating these nightshade plants has a deleterious affect on our health. It's a huge chunk of the western diet to miss out on. For the rest of us, we can toy with a niggling doubt and, in a way, flirt with death on a daily basis. It's a bit of fun.

Oh, and I don't think I'd try fugu, in case you wondered.



Nightshade Stack

This is my take on the French classic ratatouille. I've taken one liberty with the “nightshade” theme; I've included zucchini, which is not a member of the solanaceae family but is nevertheless tasty. Ratatouille is typically a side dish or a garnish for a main. This version would easily pass as a starter. The quantities listed serve two.

3 red capsicum
4 large, ripe tomatoes, chopped roughly
3 zucchini
1 large eggplant
1 brown onion, fine brunoise
1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed
olive oil

Blacken the skin of the capsicums by roasting them over an open flame. Cool and remove the skin. Remove the stems, cut open, remove the seeds and any white pith, and then cut 2 of the capsicums into long strips, 2-3cm wide. Reserve the third and any trimmings.

Slice the zucchini and eggplant into thin strips, about ½ cm thick, retaining any trimmings. Drizzle with a bit of olive oil and either char-grill or pan fry the strips in batches until they are soft and slightly colored but not mushy. Allow to cool.

Using a ring mould, arrange the strips of cooked veggies in an alternating pattern making sure that the bottom is covered and that there is enough overhang to fold over the top once the moulds are filled. When your two moulds are lined, collect all the trimmings and leftovers.

In a small pot on low-medium heat, sweat the chopped onions in a tablespoon of olive oil until they are soft and translucent but not colored. Remove half of the onions and set aside. Add to the pot the chopped tomatoes, the garlic, and the reserved capsicum (but not the capsicum trimmings, these you'll use below). Cook gently until about half the moisture has evaporated. Transfer to a blender and puree. Taste and season.

Meanwhile, roughly chop all of the zucchini, eggplant, and capsicum. Heat a small pan on low heat, add the cooked onions which you set aside earlier, the chopped veggies, and a splash of olive oil. Cook, stirring often, until the vegetables soften and begin to break down. Season.

Mix a spoonful or two of the tomato puree into the cooked vegetables. Spoon this mixture into the prepared moulds, packing tightly (you may have more than will fit, you just have to eat leftovers tomorrow). Fold the overhanging strips of zucchini, capsicum, and eggplant over the top to seal.

To serve, place the filled rings onto a tray lined with baking paper, cover the tops with foil, and bake in a hot oven for about 10 minutes. While the nightshade stack is heating, warm the tomato puree gently in a small pot. Gently slide the hot stacks to plates, remove the foil and then gently lift off the rings. Garnish with warm tomato puree.