Watch: I got third degree burns on my face by eating poisonous cashew nut shell from an exotic fruit market

Watch more of our videos on ShotsTV.com 
and on Freeview 262 or Freely 565
Visit Shots! now
Video shows the moment a tourist sampled an exotic fruit he bought from a market - which left with third-degree burns on his face.

The video clip captures the moment a travel content creator bites into the ‘wrong part’ of an exotic fruit he bought from a market, while holidaying in Mexico. Thomas Harold Watson, 28, says he experienced a burning feeling like "fire" going across his mouth immediately, as he unwittingly bit into the outer shell of a cashew nut.

Cashew nuts grow on cashew trees, with the nut encased in a hard shell, attached to an edible fruit known as cashew apple. Thomas, from Luton, Bedfordshire, said he’d heard cashew apples were edible and was keen to try one – but had no idea about the dangers of biting into the cashew nut casing - a hard shell which contains cardol and anacardic acid - which can cause vicious burns.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Despite biting into the fruit at a market in Campeche, in the Yucatan peninsula of Mexico, last Wednesday 1 May, he says his injuries have still not healed and is worried it may leave permanent scarring across his face.

Thomas, a construction site manager and travel influencer, said: “I’d heard about it but never tried it in the flesh, so I bought it, went for a walk and started eating a few different fruits. The cashew nut grows on the side of the apple, so I thought I’d open it up – it felt like a passion fruit, and I bit into this sac which exploded straight away. Instantly it felt like fire, I could feel this fire going across my mouth.”

His whole face was ‘completely burnt’ the next day. He added: I could not believe the pain just from biting into one case - even my hands have gone discoloured from where the acid burnt them so badly.” He later discovered from a Google search that workers who shell cashews can suffer from severe burns to their hands and arms, but says it won’t put him off trying new exotic foods.

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.

News you can trust since 1948
Follow us
©National World Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved.Cookie SettingsTerms and ConditionsPrivacy notice