Prawn cocktail

Plants are unable to move about and escape like animals, and they therefore need to be more creative in how they defend themselves. Many evolve the ability to produce, in increasing amounts, chemicals that cause irritation and stinging pain in any herbivores foolish enough to try to consume them. Although this is a powerful deterrent for most animals, there are people who actively seek out foods containing such chemicals. Allyl isothiocyanate, or mustard oil, is five times as lethal as arsenic, mass-for-mass. Although people often build up resistances to small amounts in their food, a small restaurant in Indiana, USA, sells a dish specifically designed to push a person’s tolerance to their limits. The signature dish at St. Elmo Steak House is a prawn cocktail whose spiciness comes from the 9kg of grated mustard oil-containing horseradish used to make it. The sensation of eating this dish is described as akin to being electrocuted.