How is a fugu meal served?įugu is often offered raw as sashimi as part of a full Japanese menu in a Fugu restaurant. The deaths can also be traced back to private households in which the boxfish was prepared. Fortunately, the reported deaths from tetrodotoxin are now minimal, no more than 11 deaths in the past decade. Because theoretically it could be the last meal. With this proverb, the Japanese summed up the fascination for the consumption of this fish. How does the boxfish taste? BoxfishĪ Japanese proverb says “Fugu wa kuitashi, inch wa oshishi” ( I want to eat puffer fish, but I depend on my life). This is the only way to guarantee the safety of the guest.
A Japanese cook has to take the fish apart and fillet it carefully with the greatest precision. The deadly nerve poison is mainly contained in the internal organs of the animal. In Japanese restaurants, the fugu may only be filleted by specially trained chefs. Because in most other countries the preparation of the animal is strictly forbidden. That is precisely why the poisonous puffer fish is a spectacular delicacy that is known beyond Japan’s borders. Consumption of the poisonous animal can be potentially fatal because the small fish contains enough poison tetrododoxin to kill an adult human. The dried fugu shows that the respective restaurant has a corresponding license. A restaurant of this type is usually recognized by an inflated puffer fish in the entrance area. In Japan, this type of fish is served in restaurants that specialize in preparing the expensive delicacy.
Which restaurants offer the dangerous specialty? In fact, there is no risk of death from poisoning when eaten in this way. Because of this, this type of fugu is poison-free. They are fed a special TTX-free feed during breeding. Because the Takifugu rubripes is basically not poisonous, but forms this only through the ingestion of TTX-containing organisms. The genus Takifugu rubripes is only bred in captivity in order to avoid the danger of poison. This also applies to fishing and trading these types of fish. More popular one is swai fish( here’s more about it).
A special license is required for the preparation of different fish types in Asia. Depending on the species of fish, the skin, which also contains deadly tetrodotoxin, has to be removed using a special preparation technique. In order to be able to enjoy this, the poisonous body parts such as the liver, intestines and roe are removed. The non-toxic part of the meat is considered a special delicacy in selected Japanese restaurants. In these regions there is a water temperature of 13 degrees on the seabed, preferred by the fish. One of the most famous regions is the town of Shimonoseki in Yamaguchi Prefecture. The poisonous puffer fish is caught in various Japanese port cities. In Japan, the consumption of the fugu puffer fish is both an important cultural asset and a luxury food. In lot of states, fugu fish are not allowed to be prepared due to the highly dangerous poison. Not all the puffer fish-poisoned dogs that Dr Byrne has seen actually swallowed tetrodotoxin.The fugu puffer fish is a poisonous Japanese delicacy. With urgent treatment your pet will likely recover, but any delay may be fatal.īut the term 'puffer fish' is also often used more generically, to include porcupine fish, which in some cases are also lethally poisonous.