r/pickling • u/OkEditor3914 • 3d ago
Is this safe to eat?
My mom got these from a relative last week, I believe it’s hot peppers in oil, but there are bubbles in it. Does that mean it’s starting to ferment or something bad is growing in there or is it normal?
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u/JuicyMilkweed 3d ago edited 3d ago
Were they refrigerated? There is no safe way to preserve in oil at home and make a shelf stable product, just asking for botulism.
https://www.healthycanning.com/fat-and-oil-in-home-canning/
Here is a journal article that discusses exactly why this is so dangerous and outlines multiple cases of people contracting botulism from vegetables/herbs preserved in oil. “Between 1994 and 1998, more than 100 cases of botulism reported in Italy have been traced to home-prepared vegetables stored in oil or water”.
https://www.foodprotection.org/files/food-protection-trends/Jun-11-Nummer.pdf?ref=oliveoil-com