# Foods that cannot be eaten right off the tree/vine/stalk **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 1, 2005, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-cannot-be-eaten-right-off-the-tree-vine-stalk/333593 "2005-12-01T19:13:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![ImaginalDisc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a88e57/32.png) [@ImaginalDisc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ImaginalDisc)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2005, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-cannot-be-eaten-right-off-the-tree-vine-stalk/333593/21 "2005-12-01T23:33:05Z")
> [@Doctor Jackson](#): > > Plantains. They won’t do you any particular harm raw, but as my grandfather found out when he mistook them for bannanas, they taste like starchy wood. I can’t think of any instance where plantains are (intentionally) eaten straight from the tree. People in the caribean don’t really eat them raw, at least not latins. If they’re way under ripe, you soak 'em, smash 'em and fry 'em. If they’re way over ripe, you slice 'em, and fry em. ---
**Author:** ![anu-la1979](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/47e85d/32.png) [@anu-la1979](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anu-la1979)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2005, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-cannot-be-eaten-right-off-the-tree-vine-stalk/333593/22 "2005-12-01T23:43:44Z")
> [@](#): > > Plantains. They won’t do you any particular harm raw, but as my grandfather found out when he mistook them for bannanas, they taste like starchy wood. I can’t think of any instance where plantains are (intentionally) eaten straight from the tree. In Goa, where my parents grew up, they are eaten “raw” in the sense that they are eaten green. Basically they’re marinated in cayenne and turmeric and salt then dipped in rice flour and lightly pan-fried. In fact, I was just jonesin’ for some of that yesterday. ---
**Author:** ![Waterman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b2d939/32.png) [@Waterman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waterman)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2005, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-cannot-be-eaten-right-off-the-tree-vine-stalk/333593/23 "2005-12-02T00:05:41Z")
> [@Dr. Rieux](#): > > Tomatillos–the basic ingredient of salsa verde. Tomatillos can be eaten raw or cooked and generally the husk is removed (unless as many sources indicate you like eating cardboard). Have you included them because they taste bad (I have eaten them raw and they were fine)? ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2005, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-cannot-be-eaten-right-off-the-tree-vine-stalk/333593/24 "2005-12-02T00:21:37Z")
I’ve heard that almonds will make you really sick if eaten off the tree. I do not know if that is true. I know for a fact that there are types of mushrooms that will make you wish you were dead if they’re not washed/boiled before eating. My understanding is that most psilocibin (sp?) mushrooms are in this category. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Rieux](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@Dr.Rieux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Rieux)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2005, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-cannot-be-eaten-right-off-the-tree-vine-stalk/333593/25 "2005-12-02T00:28:36Z")
> [@Waterman](#): > > Tomatillos can be eaten raw or cooked and generally the husk is removed (unless as many sources indicate you like eating cardboard). Have you included them because they taste bad (I have eaten them raw and they were fine)? I read it in a cookbook–I may have been misinformed. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2005, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-cannot-be-eaten-right-off-the-tree-vine-stalk/333593/26 "2005-12-02T01:39:28Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > Chestnuts need to be roasted before they’re edible. Nope, that’s not true. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2005, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-cannot-be-eaten-right-off-the-tree-vine-stalk/333593/27 "2005-12-02T01:42:01Z")
Bananas can’t be eaten straight off the tree, because they don’t grow on trees. ---
**Author:** ![who\_me\_2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/87869e/32.png) [@who\_me\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/who_me_2)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2005, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-cannot-be-eaten-right-off-the-tree-vine-stalk/333593/28 "2005-12-02T02:01:21Z")
Sampiro, no, I’ve had both fresh and dried psilocybin mushrooms, and never been unhappy enough to ask for a refund. ---
**Author:** ![ImaginalDisc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a88e57/32.png) [@ImaginalDisc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ImaginalDisc)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2005, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-cannot-be-eaten-right-off-the-tree-vine-stalk/333593/29 "2005-12-02T02:38:12Z")
> [@anu-la1979](#): > > In Goa, where my parents grew up, they are eaten “raw” in the sense that they are eaten green. Basically they’re marinated in cayenne and turmeric and salt then dipped in rice flour and lightly pan-fried. In fact, I was just jonesin’ for some of that yesterday. Wow. That sounds really good. ---
**Author:** ![Waterman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b2d939/32.png) [@Waterman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waterman)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2005, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-cannot-be-eaten-right-off-the-tree-vine-stalk/333593/30 "2005-12-02T03:02:41Z")
> [@Dr. Rieux](#): > > I read it in a cookbook–I may have been misinformed. Both Diana Kennedy’s \*Essential Cuisines of Mexico \* and Rick Bayless’s \*Mexican Everyday \* reference recipes using tomatillos either raw or cooked. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2005, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-cannot-be-eaten-right-off-the-tree-vine-stalk/333593/31 "2005-12-02T03:23:33Z")
What about rice? ---
**Author:** ![Cowgirl\_Jules](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4af34b/32.png) [@Cowgirl\_Jules](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cowgirl_Jules)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2005, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-cannot-be-eaten-right-off-the-tree-vine-stalk/333593/32 "2005-12-02T17:09:18Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > I’ve heard that almonds will make you really sick if eaten off the tree. I do not know if that is true. No, it’s not, although I don’t care for them raw. My mom used to graze off the trees regularly (they were almond farmers for about ten years.) I was going to contribute rhubarb, but I did a little googling and found that it’s just the leaves and roots are toxic, but I can’t find mention that one has to cook the stems before eating, like I thought. ---
**Author:** ![BluePitbull](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e9bcb4/32.png) [@BluePitbull](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BluePitbull)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2005, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-cannot-be-eaten-right-off-the-tree-vine-stalk/333593/33 "2005-12-02T17:16:35Z")
Ackee, a Jamaican fruit tree. I believe that they are toxic when they are on trees ---
**Author:** ![Taters](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/taters/32/2845_2.png) [@Taters](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taters)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2005, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-cannot-be-eaten-right-off-the-tree-vine-stalk/333593/34 "2005-12-02T17:56:29Z")
Chanterelle mushrooms cannot be eaten raw. They must be cooked first. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2005, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-cannot-be-eaten-right-off-the-tree-vine-stalk/333593/35 "2005-12-02T18:01:20Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > After all, you can’t eat dried pasta, Why not? I’ve been known to munch on an uncooked strand of spaghetti while waiting for the water to boil. I do not believe you can eat corn right off the stalk, but I could be wrong on that. ---
**Author:** ![Trunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/87869e/32.png) [@Trunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trunk)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2005, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-cannot-be-eaten-right-off-the-tree-vine-stalk/333593/36 "2005-12-02T18:08:38Z")
Macadamia nuts are soft and (more) bland right off the tree/ground. They don’t _need_ to be roasted but they benefit from it greatly. ---
**Author:** ![caveman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/caveman/32/7242_2.png) [@caveman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/caveman)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2005, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-cannot-be-eaten-right-off-the-tree-vine-stalk/333593/37 "2005-12-02T18:21:20Z")
> [@ivylass](#): > > Why not? I’ve been known to munch on an uncooked strand of spaghetti while waiting for the water to boil. > > I do not believe you can eat corn right off the stalk, but I could be wrong on that. You’re not alone in your crunchy-pasta munching; my siblings and I all will steal a few strands to nibble on while dinner is cooking. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2005, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-cannot-be-eaten-right-off-the-tree-vine-stalk/333593/38 "2005-12-02T18:22:22Z")
> [@Blake](#): > > Fresh olives are intolerably bitter. I discovered this to my cost in Italy last month. Standing in a medieval olive grove in the gentle autumn sunset, I got all pretentious as I picked an olive from a tree, turned to my wife and started quoting Sophocles as I stuck the olive in my mouth: “Self-nurtured year by year, 'tis the grey-leaved olive that–Jesus fucking H CHRIST that’s fucking DISGUSTING!” :spit: :spit: :gag: spit: ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2005, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-cannot-be-eaten-right-off-the-tree-vine-stalk/333593/39 "2005-12-02T18:36:36Z")
Dammit, **jjimm** , yogurt hurts when it comes out your nose, did you know that? ---
**Author:** ![Motorgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e36b37/32.png) [@Motorgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Motorgirl)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2005, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-cannot-be-eaten-right-off-the-tree-vine-stalk/333593/40 "2005-12-02T19:47:42Z")
> [@ivylass](#): > > Why not? I’ve been known to munch on an uncooked strand of spaghetti while waiting for the water to boil. > > I do not believe you can eat corn right off the stalk, but I could be wrong on that. My cousins & I used to pick ears of sweetcorn & eat them raw. Pretty good, though too many green ears will give you the runs. But then, too much of many fruits/vegetables will do the same. “Stealing” from the garden was one of the things we never got in trouble for. I think our parents were happy we were voluntarily eating vegetables. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-cannot-be-eaten-right-off-the-tree-vine-stalk/333593.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-cannot-be-eaten-right-off-the-tree-vine-stalk/333593.md?page=3)