Can you eat puffer fish? / All You Need To Know
Can you eat puffer fish? / All You Need To Know
Blog Article
Introduction
If you have never heard of or eaten the puffer fish, you will probably think of it as a regular fish. The reality is very far from it. Pufferfish, also called fugu, has been an ever-present dish in Japan and China for centuries. This article will guide you about puffer fish, safety measures of eating fugu and how you can remain safe after eating this Japan’s delicacy.
You Can Also Read: Types of Betta Fish
What is a Puffer Fish
Puffer fish is known as fugu in chinese and as hétún in chinese standard language. Korea. Japan, China and Singapore are among the few countries who have the authority to sell and eat this special dish. You can’t just simply cook and eat the fish on your own. Chefs in Japan and China have certification of authenticity before cooking the dish. Chefs need to qualify and pass the national exams just to be able to cook the fish. Cooking at home will probably lead to death.
Potential Hazard
Puffer fish contains a deadly toxin known as tetrodotoxin (TTX). 0.02 grams of this poisonous chemical in the human body will lead to death. Humans will remain conscious, but it paralyzes the respiratory system and ultimately results in suffocation, leading to death.
Eating Puffer Fish
Mainly, Japan has the authorization of cooking puffer fish. Overall, 150 types of puffer fish are present in the sea. Japan is famous for cooking more than twenty different types of dishes using various species of puffer fish.
Only specialized handlers can cut and prepare the fish for cooking. They remove all the poisonous parts of the fish. Separation of non-toxic meat enables the cooking of the puffer fish. The liver, ovaries, brain, and eyes are major toxic parts of the puffer fish bodies that need to be separated. Fugu is also famous for its meat presentation. Delicate thin meat is cut into fine small pieces and spread out on the plate in the shape of a flower. This dish is also called fugu sashimi or Tessa. Experienced chefs use high quality ingredients in the preparation of these dishes.
Hagi Honjin Ryokan, Osaka, and Oita are the central prefectures where fugu fish is mainly cooked and served. Large quantities of fugu fish are farmed because there is less chance of toxic chemicals in them. Wild-caught puffer wishes are less common and expensive as well. In some regions of Japan, it is known as Fuku, which means good luck. Chefs carefully remove the poisonous substances and prepare the best dish from the tender meat.
People prefer eating wild puffer fish to enjoy the best taste of it. As it is dangerous, the taste of the meat feels even more delicious when you survive it. Fugu is also eaten with a soup-like drink called ponzu. The tender meat in the form of sashimi is dipped in liquid soup and can be enjoyed thoroughly. Some major dishes prepared using fugu include a fugu hotpot called Tecchiri, lightly boiled fugu skin, deep-fried fugu, grilled fugu soft roe, and fugu-hire (fins of fugu). These are very delicious, taste great, and take great care when cooking.
Conclusion
To be able to simply serve the fugu, the chefs have to go through a meticulous process. Proper authentication is required before cooking it. The restaurants are required to be certified to cook this fish. So, why not try a puffer wish? This question will surely be in one’s mind after reading about puffer fish. If you ever happen to be in Japan, Yamaguchi will be the best place to try the best fugu dishes in the market. Report this page