Tourists warned against eating Asian delicacy over 'suction cup' risk that can kill

Heading overseas and trying out local delicacies you can't get back home is one of the most exciting parts of travelling abroad.

But some dishes should be avoided like the plague as they can make you very poorly or worse, kill you.

A warning exists when it comes to not eating the 'world's most dangerous cheese' at one of Europe's top destinations. It's banned from being sold in shops, which is enough of an indicator about not touching it.

There's also a big alert on a popular Thai dish that could give you liver cancer from just one bite. Despite this, people are still against banning it.

The list does not stop there, with one delicacy coming with a 'suction cup' warning that can very much take your life if you're unlucky.

Roughly six people a year die from eating the local plate, which is incredibly popular despite this very sobering fact.

The deaths usually make the headlines and are often accompanied by guidance on safer ways to eat the delicacy if you still wish to consume it despite the very obvious warning.

There's also a huge ethical issue when it comes to the plate given the animal is very much alive when it's consumed. No, we're not joking.

Sannakji prepared for a customer to eat (Getty Stock Images)

The dish up for debate is something called Sannakji. It's a delicacy in South Korea and adored by many native to the country.

Naturally, it's also sampled by countless tourists given how unique a dish it is.

That's because it is live octopus that is diced up in front of your eyes and served raw.

It's prepared by cutting up young, living octopus into small pieces and served immediately.

Sannakji is often served with a chilli paste with people wrapping the tentacles up around a chop stick before consuming.

Sannakji can kill (Getty Stock Images)

The 'suction cup' warning might be self explanatory by this stage, but if not, it's because the tentacles are quite literally eaten minutes after being cut from the octopus' body.

They continue to wriggle as they're served to punters. Unfortunately, it sees the suction cups on the octopus' legs stick to the inside of a person's throat. I don't think we need to explain the rest, other than to say asphyxiation is the usual cause of death.

Animal rights activists vehemently oppose the consumption of Sannakji, with octopuses part of the cephalopod family, there is an assumption to many that they ca perceive pain and therefore can feel their limbs being cut off.

Charity PETA says that during the preparation stage, the octopus are 'hacked apart while they are still conscious and often times desperately struggling to get away', which, in their defence, does seem a tad cruel.