Single bite of Thai dish can give you liver cancer

There's something about Thai food that's just otherworldly, from the staple Pad Thai to a Thai green (or red) curry, it's everything you'll ever want in one meal - but there's one dish that could lead to serious health consequences.

It's so bad for you that even just a single bite of the local delicacy could give you liver cancer.

And the carcinogenic food is actually believed to be responsible for the deaths of 20,000 people in Thailand every year.

The dish is said to kill 20,000 people in Thailand every single year (Wikimedia Commons)

Now, while you're not going to come across it on your local Thai takeaway menu or in the supermarket, it's popular in the Thai province of Khon Kaen and even more popular in one of the nation’s poorest provinces, Isaan.

Known as koi pla, this plate of minced raw fish ground up with herbs, spices, and lemon juice and is eaten by many Thai people every day.

You might think it's the raw fish that causes people to develop fatal liver cancer, but that's not the case.

In fact, it's the parasitic flatworms - or live flukes - that live inside of the fish instead.

The parasites are native to fresh water fish in the Mekong region, and it's believed that Isaan has the highest reported instance of cholangiocarcinoma, or bile duct cancer, in the world due to the heavy consumption of the raw fish meal.

Dr Narong Khuntikeo, from Thailand, has been working to fight against the dangerous delicacy after both his parents tragically died from liver cancer after consuming it.

One bite could give you liver cancer (Getty Stock Image)

"It’s a very big health burden around here," the liver surgeon told Agence France-Presse.

He continued: "But nobody knows about this because they die quietly, like leaves falling from a tree."

The 'silent killer' disease has one of the lowest survival rates of all cancers if left untreated by surgery.

Dr Khuntikeo, joined by scientists, doctors and anthropologists, have spent years testing villagers from the Isaan region for the parasite.

Using ultrasound machines and urine testing kits, the doctor found that as much as 80 percent of inhabitants from some communities were found to have ingested the deadly parasite.

While he's trying to spread information and warnings over the koi pla dish - alongside local health officials have introducing a school curriculum geared at teaching children about the risks of raw foods - Dr Khuntikeo has said he's faced issues with the older generation.

"They’ll say: 'Oh well, there are many ways to die'," the health professional said.

"But I cannot accept this answer."

Those resistant to change despite the health risk attached claim that cooking the fish - the best way to kill the parasite - completely ruins the taste.