Fake Chinese Walnuts

Chinese consumers are being warned to watch out for fake walnuts. Scam artists are apparently taking empty walnut shells, stuffing them with bits of concrete and paper, gluing the shells back together, and then selling them as real walnuts. [treehugger.com, ministryoftofu.com]

It seems like a very labor-intensive way to make what can't be a lot of money. But I guess it's enough money to make it a profitable scam.

This isn't the first fake food product we've seen from China. In the past we've heard about fake pig ears made out of gelatin, steamed dumplings stuffed with cardboard instead of pork, soy sauce made from human hair, and fake eggs (although the egg story turned out itself to be a hoax).





Food

Posted on Tue Mar 19, 2013


Comments

According to the BBC program(me) QI, Episode F6, raspberry jam was so expensive in Britain circa 1900, that there was a brisk trade in fake raspberry jam, made from rhubarb or turnips, complete with fake raspberry seeds whittled from wood.
Posted by Jim Barrett  on  Thu Mar 21, 2013  at  11:26 AM
I have heard about fake tofu made from turpentine. Anyone who can verify? I am not sure if it is even possible. But if it is the result is probably inedible.
Posted by Lena Synnerholm  on  Wed May 15, 2013  at  10:27 AM
When I was a teenager, we sometimes did this to our family, to prank them. We only ever did it to one or two at a time, though, because you have to get the shell open in two clean parts, otherwise the tampering is obvious. As the article says, it's a hassle - good enough for a prank but I wouldn't want to try it on a large scale.
Posted by Richard Bos  on  Thu Jun 13, 2013  at  05:37 AM
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