Japan is well known for its unique and delicious food, however many people don’t know just how unique some meals can be. Fugu, or blowfish, is one of these delicacies.
There are over 100 species of poisonous fugu world-wide, and many are sold in Japanese restaurants as a luxury dish. The poison (tetrodotoxin) is contained in the intestines, liver, andovaries of the fish, and can be up to 1,200 times deadlier than cyanide. In fact, a single fugu fish has enough poison to kill 30 people. If ingested, it causes numbness around the mouth followed by paralysis, which leads to a rapid death.
Proper preparation is critical to ensure that no poison has contaminated the thin slices, typically served as sashimi. Afterwards, the chef will dispose of the poisonous parts of the fish in a sealed and locked container where it will eventually be burned. Although accidental deaths do happen from eating fugu, they are very rare in Japan today, and most occur from amateur fishers who attempt to prepare the fish for themselves.
Although many would consider this a crazy endeavour, the danger makes it all the more exciting for many people. Tokyo and Osaka contain some of the best fugu restaurants in Japan, and therefore some of most highly skilled chefs. You must have a special license to serve fugu, and the training itself takes a minimum of two years. A full fugu meal typically starts at $100 USD, but people are often willing to pay much higher for the assurance of the fugu chef license.
If you are looking for something profoundly unique and exciting to eat, check out one of the fugu restaurants in Tokyo or Osaka, and enjoy bragging to your friends about your Russian roulette Japanese eating experience!
