Are you the type to take risks? Do you have the guts to try the exotic and the dangerous? As always Japan has something for everybody. To those of you with adventurous palates, we dare you to try fugu!
Although its literal meaning is “river pig,” fugu in Japan refers to pufferfish and any dish made of fugu. The fish is called such because it is able to inflate itself a hundred times its original size. This is a defense mechanism which makes it difficult for predators to devour the fugu. There are many species of pufferfish, but only a selected few are used for consumption. The Tiger Blowfish, or torafugu, is considered the prized kind of all pufferfish; it is also the most poisonous.
Fugu has been consumed in Japan since the Jōmon period (14000-300 B.C.). However, because of its fatal consequences, it was banned during the Tokugawa shogunate period (1603-1868) and the Meiji era (1867-1912). But as rulers and times changed, fugu always found its way back into Japanese menu. Over the years, different ways of cooking were developed so that fugu would be safely eaten. The only person prohibited from eating fugu is the emperor of Japan.
Fugu is highly toxic because its skin and internal organs, like liver, ovaries, and testicles, contain the toxin tetrodotoxin. It is believed that it has become poisonous from feeding on animals that have bacteria high in tetrodotoxin and, over a period of time, it has developed immunity from the toxin itself.
There is no known antidote for tetrodotoxin. People are often poisoned because of miscalculations in the amount of fugu that they have eaten. People poisoned from eating fugu experience dizziness, headache, difficulty in breathing, paralysis, and if left untreated, resulted in death from asphyxiation. Treatment includes emptying of stomach contents, and respiratory and circulatory support until the toxin is naturally removed from the body.
Even though eating fugu has killed many, still it is considered a delicacy in Japan and continues to be part of Japanese cuisine. However, only licensed chefs and restaurants are allowed to prepare or sell fugu. The chefs themselves have undergone rigorous training, and prior to obtaining their license, they have to demonstrate how to correctly prepare fugu and eat the dish themselves. Selling and consumption of its organs are strictly prohibited in Japan.
The preparation of fugu requires more than 30 steps, which actually reduces its toxicity and making it edible.
In Nagasaki University experiments are done to produce non-toxic torafugu. The scientists claimed that they restricted its diet, successfully raising non-poisonous torafugu. They also claimed that its meat tastes the same as that of the toxic variety.
There are many ways of preparing fugu – sashimi style, baked, fried, stewed, and served in salad. So, come on, have a taste of this fatally delightful dish. It is one thrilling experience that you can surely talk boast about.
