Swedish Magazine with Poisonous Apple Cake Recipe Issues Recall After 4 People Become Ill

Four people were left ill after they replicated a cake recipe in a Swedish food magazine. "There was a mistake in a recipe for apple cake. Instead of calling for two pinches of nutmeg it said 20 nutmeg nuts were needed," Matmagasinet's chief editor Ulla Cocke told Agence France-Presse.

Nutmeg ingested in large quantities can result in hallucinations or poisoning. A poisonous dose of over 25 grams can cause aching of the body, dehydration, heart palpitations, nausea, and convulsions. The Swedish food magazine initially placed leaflets in the store copies and sent letters to 50,000 subscribers when first made aware detailing how nutmeg could be poisonous but after the poisoning of 4 adults they decided to recall over 10,000 magazines to prevent other people from making the dangerous dessert. "At first we thought this would be enough, because we didn't really think anyone would bake or eat this cake, since so much nutmeg would give it a horrible, bitter taste, and because it is simply not that easy to get hold of that much nutmeg," the chief editor of Matmagasinet said. This might leave some bewildered how someone or rather 4 people would each buy 20 nutmeg nuts and add them to a an apple cake recipe but sure enough it happened.

This dangerous mishap might make people think twice about trying that yummy looking recipe for Chicken Marabella or that delicious looking cheesecake recipe that they had been thinking of fixing up.

It just goes to show that you cannot believe or trust everything you read sometimes or blindly cook something from a magazine. Perhaps it would be wise to understand the ingredients or amount you are adding and look for more information on those recipes you have a funny feeling about. It is better to be safe than ill from eating a poisonous cake, I always say.

Sources:

Swedish magazine recalled after faulty recipe poisons four, AFP

Magazines recall poisonous recipes, ABC