What’s your poison? Why you shouldn’t worry about cyanide on International Amaretto Day
International Amaretto Day is on April 19
As any fan of detective stories will tell you, cyanide has a distinct smell of bitter almonds. What it tastes like is quite another matter, as there’s no one left alive to tell. But perhaps one of the few clues to its taste is contained in a letter left by an Indian man who in 2006 was unwise enough to down a mixture of cyanide and whiskey — with the inevitable tragic result. His note, found later, simply said: “Doctors, potassium cyanide, I have tasted it. It burns the tongue and tastes acrid.”
While it might not actually taste like almonds, cyanide does have a close relationship with the nut. Bitter almonds contain a toxin that breaks down into poisonous hydrogen cyanide when eaten. Sweet almonds — the ones you find in nut mixes and chocolate bars and foods of all kinds — are quite different and completely harmless, but swallowing just half a dozen of the bitter variety can result in severe poisoning. And if you down around 50 of them, well, don’t be making too many plans for the future.
