Eating Poisonous Fugu Fish in Japan

Toxic Puffer Fish is a Popular Delicacy

Tasting the potentially toxic puffer fish fugu is forbidden by law to the Emperor of Japan. Considering the number of deaths per year is up to 80 people, why it is still so popular?

Why Fugu is a Potentially Toxic Dish

Fugu is a fish belonging to the genus Takifugu, similar to a globefish, which can be found worldwide mostly in salt water, but sometimes in fresh water too. The internal organs and eyes are highly toxic due to the fact this fish contains lethal amounts of the poison Tetrodotoxin. Despite this, it is considered a delicacy in Japan.

Since 1958, only specially-licensed chefs can cook and sell the fish to the public. The fugu apprentice needs a 2 or 3-year apprenticeship before being allowed to take an official test, and only a third of the applicants finally obtain a license.

The poison paralyzes the muscles and then causes asphyxiation. There is no antidote; the standard medical procedure is to try and support the respiratory and circulatory systems until the effect of the poison wears off.

After several homeless people died from eating fugu organs discarded in the trash, restaurants in Japan are now required to store them in specially locked barrels that are later burned as hazardous waste.

Purists say fugu tastes a lot better if you dilute a small amount of the poison in water to paralyze the lips and tongue for just one moment. Most of the people that die from eating fugu cooked their own fish and touched the skin and all the organs.

Eating Fugu for the First Time

The Osaka-based restaurant Zuboraya is 1 of 4 fugu cooking companies in the city. For about 8300 yen each ($90 US) you'll find out that fugu has a soft taste, typical of white meat fish, brought out with lemon juice or soy sauce. It can be eaten raw as sashimi, cooked in karaage fugu (in a crispy coating), or shabu-shabu fugu, a soup that you swish the fugu through for a few seconds before eating.

Non-poisonous Fugu from the United States

In America there are some farms that cultivate fugu without Tetrodotoxin so they are not poisonous. However, most won't pay $90 for farmed fugu. Japanese restaurants know this, which is why they have reservoirs to show the public they buy fresh living fish brought from the sea. The danger of eating fugu is truly part of the attraction of this delicious fish.