Tourist gets third degree burns after biting into local fruit in Mexico
When the tourist sank his teeth into the cashew apple fruit, "it felt like fire and he could feel this fire spreading across his mouth"
A British tourist, who bit into an innocuous looking local fruit – the cashew apple in Mexico – ended up the next day with third degree burns on his face. His culinary adventure with a local delicacy had turned into his worst nightmare.
Thomas Harold Watson, a 28-year-old construction worker from Bedforshire, who was holidaying in Mexico, was taking a leisurely stroll through a market in Campeche earlier this month. It is then he spotted cashew apples and decided to try what he thought was an exotic fruit.
On fire
According to news reports, who quoted him, Watson said that when he sank his teeth into the fruit, "it felt like fire and he could feel this fire spreading across his mouth".
The next day he woke up and found his face was completely burnt and “scabby” as if it had been doused with acid
His hands too were discoloured, all of which, he later learnt was caused by the cardol and anacardic acid found inside the cashew apple. This volatile combination is known to cause blisters and burns if it comes into contact with the skin.
What was worse is that Watson could not visit a doctor since the medical costs abroad are known to be exorbitant. Instead, he had to grit his teeth and endure the pain and the tough recovery process.
At the end of it, his lips were all burnt and “they literally felt like they’d be dissolved, felt like my lip had gone like baking paper for three or four days", he recounted, said media reports.
Don't sample local exotic foods
After this experience, Watson has warned travellers not to sample exotic foods abroad without doing some research. “It’s always good to eat local foods but I guess it’s also good to have a bit of knowledge about them,” he cautioned.
Cashew apples are known to be a bit bitter but can be eaten raw or used to make juices, jams, and other products. But it can cause skin irritation and blisters if not handled properly.