In the latest instance of a wild critter appearing in foodstuffs where it doesn’t belong, a viper hitched a ride from Spain to Austria via a box of bananas, much to the shock of the Austrian woman who was innocently carrying them home in her bag of groceries.
According to The Local, the snake made its presence known once the woman got the box into the car, at which time she “stayed calm but immediately stopped [the] car and called emergency services.”
Fortunately, the woman’s community has a resident expert on snake taming—known affectionately as both “Mr. Rattlesnake” and the “Snake Pope”—who swooped into the situation and saved the day. Mr. Rattlesnake identified the snake as non-threatening (thank goodness) and is currently fostering it.
If you’re interested in a less terrifying and tastier intersection of snakes and produce, the Indonesian fruit salak (aka snake fruit) is a better option for you.
The fig-sized fruit is covered in a rough reddish-brown skin that resembles scales (hence, the snake reference) and has a taste similar to a lemon-soaked pineapple.
Obviously, we’ll take snake fruit over snake-in-fruit any day of the week.
[via The Local]