Tasting the national dish is foremost on the minds of many travellers to foreign climes , but few may be aware that even the most innocuous have hidden kicks. For anyone staying in affordable accommodation in England, France, Sweden and Switzerland, here is our list of what to watch out for.

England: apples

Apples are synonymous with the UK. According to the Institute of Food Research, the market is worth more than £320 million. In England, Somerset was the first country council to fund the preservation of apple orchards and it is also the county where cider comes from. The orchards in Somerset are some of the best around.

However, not many people know that eating too many apples could be hazardous for your health - and it is the seeds, not the flesh you have to watch out for. According to the Institute of Food Research, they contain cyanogenic glycoside, otherwise known as cyanide. Symptoms of apple-seed intoxication can include abdominal pain, vomiting, sweating. Unusual for something that, as the saying goes, by eating one a day it keeps the doctor away.

France: snails

Snails have been a national delicacy in France for thousands of years. They are favourites for tourists to try at many of the best hotels in Paris and other food regions of France, including the German crossover towns in Alsace. Snails are specialities at the three-star Hotel Restaurant Kastelberg in Andlau-au-val, which also serves up healthy portions of Sauerkraut because of its German ties.

Wild snails are poisonous, however, and should be harvested and cooked with care. If the chef in your kitchen is not experienced they could serve snails up cold. Not only would this be a no-no for fans of French fare, it could land you in hospital. Snails prepared at the wrong temperature can harbour a parasite that can cause a rare kind of meningitis.

Sweden: mushrooms

The Swedish love of mushrooms dates back to Viking times when legend has it, warriors used to eat red-and-white capped fly agaric mushrooms to produce violent rages. However, not all mushrooms produce such strong effects. Several tourist retreats run special mushroom-picking trails, including hunts for the elusive and especially prized Chanterelle variety. The forests of Vastmanland are picturesque places to go on a mushroom trail, as the region contains one of Sweden's largest lakes, Malaren, and the celebrated national park of Farnebofjarden.

Just make sure you pick the right mushroom by following an experienced guide. Symptoms of a fly agaric overdose include hallucinations, numbness, seizures and coma in severe cases. Swedish professor Samuel Odman in 1784 was the first man to log the historical connection between fly agaric and Vikings based on its use among Siberian shaman.

Switzerland: Absinthe

This drink favoured by the likes of Vincent Van Gogh and Oscar Wilde was banned in several countries in the early 1900s for its hallucinogenic intoxicative effects. It was seen as an evil drink for its maddening properties and was banned throughout Europe progressively through the early part of the century. Absinthe originated in Switzerland where visitors are dared to give the Green Fairy, a try. There are plenty of good hotels in Neuchatel to hang your head after sampling this wormwood-based elixir.

Absinthe was originally produced in the Val-de-Travers region of Neuchatel. La Clandestine Absinthe was one of the first new local brands to emerge when the drink enjoyed a revival around 2005. Like the other countries and their delicacies, micro-climates are key factors to producing the best (and the most dangerous) national flavours.

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