There is a legal obligation where only qualified fugu handlers can serve fugu meals, so you can safely eat dishes with fugu at restaurants in Japan.

This is because the Japanese Government manages a system for training fugu handlers. The Reason Why You Can Eat Fugu Safely in Japanįugu are recognized as poisonous fish around the world, but you can eat them safely and with peace of mind in Japan. This demonstrates how fugu have been an appealing type of food for Japanese people since ancient times. The ban was taken away across Japan, bit by bit. At the end of the 19th century, Western culture spread across Japan, the ban on eating fugu was removed in Yamaguchi Prefecture, owing to action from Prime Minister Hirobumi Ito. Many soldiers suffered from fugu poisoning at this time, and so a decree was issued to ban people from eating fugu. There were many wars within Japan around the 17th century AD. Japan is an island surrounded by the sea, and people in the country used creative methods to prepare and eat fugu since ancient times, even earlier than the 4th century BC. The Torafugu or tiger puffer, known as the king of fugu In Japan, people say that someone “wants to eat fugu but does not want to lose their life” (“ Fugu wa kuitashi inochi wa oshishi” in Japanese) when referring to someone who is hesitating about taking action for something that is dangerous. Fugu are high in protein and low in calories, and they have many nutrients such as vitamins and minerals, making them a tasty food that is good for beauty and health. There are about 22 types of fugu used for food in Japan. For this reason, there are qualified fugu handlers who have the right skills and knowledge. The poisonous areas vary depending on the type of fugu, so it is extremely dangerous. The poison called tetrodotoxin in fugu is said to be 1,000 times stronger than potassium cyanide. There are about 350 types of puffer fish around the world, and about 35 types of fugu in the seas around Japan. People Want to Eat It, even if It Is Poisonous!! The Food Culture and History of Fugu in Japan This article describes the delicious taste, the safety measures, and the appeal of fugu, a type of fish that Japanese people love. Because of this system managed in general by the Japanese government, you can rest assured as you eat fugu. These fish are actually poisonous, and they can only be served at restaurants in Japan where a qualified fugu handler works. Every plate is a work of art, every dish is a work of science,” Hata said.Īccording to Western Australia’s Department of Fisheries, puffer fish are the second most poisonous vertebrate in the world after the golden poison frog.Fugu, or puffer fish, are luxury fish that are used as ingredients in food eaten all year round in Japan. “Master chefs cut them into the shapes of chrysanthemum petals, Mount Fuji or into animals like peacocks, turtles and butterflies. Toshiharu Hata, a fugu wholesaler in Japan previously told CNN it is traditionally served as transparent paper-thin strips on porcelain pates. Mizuno added that the supermarket told the quarantine office that their licensed employee who cut the blowfish thought this type of fugu was not poisonous as they had previously sold it with its liver before.įugu meat is sold regularly for sashimi and hot pot ingredients. The office has since launched an investigation into the supermarket, Mizuno said.Ī third pack was later returned accounting for all five packages. Two packs of the recalled fish were located and returned on Monday night after the city’s quarantine office was alerted by a consumer who had bought the product and found the liver still inside. The liver should never be eaten because only testing can detect the poison. Mizuno told CNN that this particular type of blowfish usually has very weak or no poison, but the food hygiene laws prohibit the sale of any liver given its potentially poisonous implications. However, Gamagori city activated an emergency warning to its citizens alerting them through all wireless systems, including community loud speakers, against eating the fugu and recalling the product. The two people who consumed the fish have not reported any health problems as this time.

Japanese chef Shigekazu Suzuki slices up a pufferfish, known as fugu in Japan, to remove toxic internal organs at his Tokyo restaurant 'Torafugu-tei.' YOSHIKAZU TSUNO/AFP/GettyImagesĪn intoxicating tour of Japan's deadly puffer fish capital

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