I’ve eaten many kinds of interesting dishes since I came to live in Japan, from the gross-looking monjayaki, to the not-so-appealing organs of horumonyaki. As a result, the number of fugu-related incidents has dropped dramatically, and nowadays it’s said that enjoying fugu at a licensed restaurant is a risk-free experience. In more recent years, fugu preparation has become very strictly controlled by law in Japan, and chefs need to train for several years before they can get a license to prepare fugu for serving to diners. In the past, people have been sickened, and have even died after consuming fugu that was improperly prepared. The Poisonous Pufferfishįugu, also known as blowfish or pufferfish in English, has quite a bad reputation, very simply because some of its inner organs are poisonous. If you stay the night, you may even be able to check out a fugu farm from close up, feed, and even feel the fugu’s puffed up underbelly. Numerous traditional inns and restaurants in the area serve this sought after delicacy, for a much cheaper price than in most other parts of Japan. Unless you have fugu fisheries in a nearby bay, which is precisely the case for Takahama town, located on the Western coast of Japan, a couple of hours by train North of Kyoto. Usually, that would involve a trip to an expensive, high-end restaurant. In order to avoid fatal food poisoning, Japan has categorically banned the sale and distribution of these hybrid fugus.For any foodie visiting Japan, eating fugu should be on their list of must-eat foods, since it’s next-to-impossible to have in other countries. Far from good news, these new fugus are a problem as their paralysing toxins are not necessarily found in the same place as normal fugu, lurking not only in the organs but also in the skin and muscles. The fugu, pushed further north in search of cooler waters, has begun to reproduce with other species. It is also worth noting the appearance of hybrid fish around Japan, with mutations arising due to global warming. There has been a significant decrease in the number of deaths linked to the consumption of fugu over the years, and while certain isolated incidents still occur, it is generally only when an untrained individual takes on the task of preparing themselves the fish. There are no less than 30 scrupulous steps to complete in order to correctly prepare the fugu and avoid any contamination. Using a special knife called the Fugu kiki, you must carefully cut the fish and remove the toxic organs which are then disposed of in a locked container and then burnt. Ideally served between December and February, when the fish is at its largest in order to survive the cold temperatures, fugu is prepared according to strict rules. Among the many varieties of fugu, including 120 toxic species, there are two that are most popular in Japan, Torafugu and Mafugu. Only highly qualified chefs in possession of a licence, obtained following a long period of training, are authorised to serve this fish. In order to prepare fugu, you must remove all the organs – liver, intestines, ovaries – as this is where the fatal poison is stored. It is for this reason that slices of fugu are served much thinner than traditional sashimi. The meat contains a lot of protein and very little fat with its high concentration of fibre giving its elastic texture a gelatinous quality when chewed. A meal consisting of fugu will set you back around 40 to 100 dollars per person and traditionally is composed of five dishes, raw fugu, fried fugu, fugu soup and fugu stew. It was during the Meji era that fugu really came back on the menu, as this fish, if correctly prepared, is considered one of the finest flavours available. In 1888 however, the prime minister Hirobumi Ito, while travelling through Shimonoseki, the fugu capital of Japan, was so enamoured by the fish that he lifted the ban, allowing it to be consumed once again. However it was forbidden under Shogun order between 16 following the death of a samurai who had been poisoned. Commonly known as the pufferfish as it swells up by ingesting large quantities of water in the face of the slightest threat, the fugu has been consumed in Japan since the Jomon period (10,000 to 300 BC). Once known as the Russian Roulette of gastronomy, this fish, reputed for its delicate flesh, is best known for its high levels of tetrodoxin, a potent neurotoxin 1200 times more powerful than cyanide for which there is no antidote. A more rarified dish than a ramen, fugu is nonetheless one of the most notorious Japanese foods.
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