Deadly Thai Dish Koi Pla Kills Thousands Every Year

Asian cuisine is famous for its diversity and exotic dishes that may seem unusual to those unfamiliar with local culinary traditions. There are also delicacies that pose a mortal health risk, such as the Japanese fugu fish. But what if we told you that in Thailand there is a dish that kills more people than fugu, and does so slowly and unnoticed? We are talking about a Thai dish called Koi Pla, which annually causes the death of up to 20 thousand people.

Koi Pla is a popular dish in northeastern Thailand, especially in the provinces of Khon Kaen and Isan. It is made from raw river fish, which is finely chopped and mixed with aromatic herbs, spices and lemon juice. For locals, it is a traditional food, but for tourists, the dish may seem too exotic and risky. In large resort areas of Thailand, it is almost never served, but in rural areas, it remains an invariable attribute of everyday life.

The history of Koi Pla goes back to ancient culinary traditions, when the inhabitants of these regions were looking for simple and quick ways to cook fish. Unfortunately, in the old days, no one knew that along with fish, something much more dangerous than the well-known toxins could enter the body.

Koi Pla is prepared from raw river fish, which is chopped and mixed with aromatic herbs, spices and lemon juice. For tourists, such food is exotic, but in villages the dish is eaten almost every day. There are no toxic ingredients in the Koi Pla recipe. The deadly danger lies in the raw fish. It can be infected with flatworms called trematodes, which affect the human liver.

The Thai delicacy becomes deadly due to the flatworms-trematodes that can live in raw fish. These parasites are not visible to the naked eye, and they can enter the human body along with uncooked thermally processed fish. Once in the liver, the trematodes begin to multiply and cause inflammatory processes. Over time, this leads to cirrhosis of the liver and even cancer.

One of the most alarming facts is that infection can occur after just one meal. Once the trematodes enter the body, the progression of the disease remains unnoticed until a certain point. Liver cancer develops gradually, and by the time symptoms appear, it is often too late. Khon Kaen and Isan provinces top the sad list of regions with the highest incidence of liver cancer in Thailand.

Trematodes cause inflammatory processes in liver tissues, which quickly develop into cirrhosis and cancer. Sometimes it is enough to eat a dish once to become infected with a parasite and begin the path to the grave. Khon Kaen and Isan, the birthplace of Koi Pla, are leaders in the incidence of liver cancer in Thailand.

Doctors and scientists cannot help those who are sick and are not even able to reduce the incidence. A person infected with trematodes is doomed and doctors can only delay his death and ease his suffering. Dr. Naronga Khuntikeo lost his parents to this scourge. His family lived in a village where they regularly eat raw fish. Therefore, he dedicated his life to fighting parasitic infections.

Khuntikeo and other doctors have been visiting villages in the Isan region for years, testing their residents for the parasite. Unfortunately, their results are disappointing. Up to 80 percent of rural residents are infected with trematodes. All the doctors can do is educate. They give lectures about the dangers of Koi Pla in villages and especially in schools.

Dr. Naronga Khuntikeo says their work often fails. The farmers do not believe in dangerous worms and categorically refuse to boil or fry fish. They claim that heat treatment destroys the unique taste of the traditional dish and it loses its charm.