Fugu

Torafugu for sale to master fugu chefs at the Tsukiji fish market in Tokyo

Fugu sale in a market street in Osaka, Japan

The inhabitants of Japan have eaten fugu for centuries. Fugu bones have been found in several shell middens, called kaizuka, from the Jōmon period that date back more than 2,300 years. The Tokugawa shogunate (1603–1868) prohibited the consumption of fugu in Edo and its area of influence. It became common again as the power of the Shōgunate weakened. In western regions of Japan, where the government's influence was weaker and fugu was easier to get, various cooking methods were developed to safely eat them. During the Meiji Era (1867–1912), fugu was again banned in many areas.[12] According to one fugu chef in Tokyo, the Emperor of Japan has never eaten fugu due to an unspecified "centuries old ban".[13]

In China, the use of the pufferfish for culinary purposes was already well established by the Song dynasty as one of the 'three delicacies of the Yangtze' (長江三鮮), alongside saury and Reeve's shad,[14] and appears in the writings of the polymath Shen Kuo[15] as well as in the encyclopedic work Taiping Guangji.[16] The scholar-statesman Su Shi famously remarked that the taste is worthy of death (值那一死).[17]

The torafugu, or tiger pufferfish (Takifugu rubripes), is the most prestigious edible species and the most poisonous. Other species are also eaten; for example, Higanfugu (T. pardalis), Shōsaifugu (T. vermicularis syn. snyderi), and Mafugu (T. porphyreus). The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare of Japan provides a list[18] that shows which species' body parts can be consumed. The list names safe genera including pufferfish of the Lagocephalus and Sphoeroides genera and the related porcupinefish (Harisenbon) of the family Diodontidae.

Official fugu preparation license of Tokyo issued by the Governor of Tokyo

Strict fishing regulations are now in place to protect fugu populations from depletion. Most fugu is now harvested in the spring during the spawning season and then farmed in floating cages in the Pacific Ocean. The largest wholesale fugu market in Japan is in Shimonoseki.

Fugu prices rise in autumn and peak in winter, the best season, because they fatten to survive the cold. Live fish arrive at a restaurant, surviving in a large tank, usually prominently displayed. Prepared fugu is also often available in grocery stores, which must display official license documents. Whole fish may not be sold to the general public.

Since 1958, fugu chefs must earn a license to prepare and sell fugu to the public. This involves a two- or three-year apprenticeship. The licensing examination process consists of a written test, a fish-identification test, and a practical test, preparing and eating the fish. Only about 35 percent of the applicants pass.[19] Small miscalculations result in failure or, in rare cases, death. Consumers believe that this training process makes it safer to eat fugu in restaurants or markets.[20] Also, commercially available fugu is sometimes grown in environments in which it grows to be less toxic.

Since October 2012, restaurants in Japan have been permitted to sell fugu that has been prepared and packaged by a licensed practitioner elsewhere.[21]

In the case of torafugu, the most common fugu, the cost is between ¥1000 and ¥5000 per kg, depending on the season.[22] The expense encourages chefs to slice the fish very carefully to obtain the largest possible amount of meat. A special knife, called fugu hiki, is usually stored separately from other knives.

The symptoms of tetrodotoxin poisoning include dizziness, exhaustion, headache, nausea, or difficulty breathing. The person remains conscious but cannot speak or move. In high doses, breathing stops and asphyxiation follows.

There is no known antidote, and treatment consists of emptying the stomach, administering activated charcoal to bind the toxin, and putting the person on life support until the poison has worn off. Toxicologists have been working on developing an antidote for tetrodotoxin.

Statistics from the Tokyo Bureau of Social Welfare and Public Health indicate 20 to 44 incidents, some affecting multiple diners, of fugu poisoning per year between 1996 and 2006 in Japan. Between 34 and 64 people were hospitalized, and zero to six died, per year, with an average fatality rate of 6.8%.[28] Of the 23 incidents reported in Tokyo from 1993 through 2006, only one took place in a restaurant; all others involved people catching and eating the fish.[28] Poisonings through amateur preparation can result from confusion between types of puffer, as well as improper methods, and some may represent deliberate suicide attempts. Engelbert Kaempfer, a German physician who resided in Japan in the 1690s, reported that an unusually toxic variety of puffer was sometimes sought out by individuals who wished to take their own lives.[29]

Much higher figures were reported in earlier years, peaking in 1958 when 176 people died from eating fugu in a single year.[19] According to the Fugu Research Institute, 50% of the victims were poisoned by eating the liver, 43% from eating the ovaries, and 7% from eating the skin. One of the most famous victims was the Kabuki actor and "Living National Treasure" Bandō Mitsugorō VIII, who in 1975 died after eating four servings of fugu kimo (fugu liver),[25] the sale of which was prohibited by local ordinances at the time.[30] Bandō claimed to be able to resist the poison,[25] but died several hours after returning to his hotel.[30]

On August 23, 2007, a doctor in Thailand reported that unscrupulous fish sellers sold puffer meat disguised as salmon, which caused fifteen deaths over three years. About 115 people were taken to different hospitals. Fugu had been banned in Thailand five years prior to the deaths.[31]

In March 2008, a fisherman in the Philippines died and members of his family became ill from pufferfish. The previous year, four people in the same town died and five others had fallen ill after eating the same variety of pufferfish.[32]

In February 2009, a Malaysian fisherman died and four others were hospitalised after they consumed a meal of pufferfish when they ran out of food while at sea.[33]

In November 2011, a chef at two-Michelin star "Fugu Fukuji" in Tokyo was suspended from his post. The chef served fugu liver to a customer who, despite being warned of the risks, specifically asked that it be provided. The 35-year-old customer subsequently required hospital treatment for mild symptoms of tetrodotoxin paralysis, but made a full recovery.[34]

Five men were poisoned at a restaurant in Wakayama in March 2015 after specifically asking for liver.[35][36][37]

In December 2020, 3 people in the Philippines died, while 4 more were hospitalized after eating pufferfish.[38]

• Sashimi — The most popular dish is fugu sashimi, also called Fugu sashi or tessa. Knives with exceptionally thin blades are used for cutting fugu into translucent slices, a technique known as Usuzukuri (薄造, うすづくり).[39]
• Milt — The soft roe (Shirako) of the blowfish is a highly prized food item in Japan, and it is often found in department stores. Along with cod milt, it is one of the most popular kinds of soft roe, and it is often grilled and served with salt.
• Fried — Fugu can be eaten deep fried as Fugu Kara-age.
• Smoked — Fugu-fin sake. Sake infused with the smoked fin of the blowfish (fugu) to give a distinctive smoky, fishy flavour known as Hire-zake.[40]
• Stew — Vegetables and fugu can be simmered as Fugu-chiri, also called tetchiri, in which case the fish's very light taste is hard to distinguish from the vegetables and the dip.
• Salad — If the spikes in the skin are pulled out, the skin can be eaten as part of a salad called yubiki.

In the cuisine of Hakusan, Ishikawa, ovaries are served after effort is made to reduce the toxin level by salting and pickling for three years—e.g., in "Blowfish Ovaries Pickled in Rice-Bran Paste" (河豚の卵巣の糠漬け, ふぐのらんそうのぬかづけ).[41] Only the "Mikawa district of Hakusan City, the Ono and Kanaiwa districts of Kanazawa City, and Wajima City, all in Ishikawa Prefecture" are permitted to perform the process, and only by the traditional method, and explicit warnings are offered to dissuade non-professionals from attempting the 3-year process.[41][42] After one year of pickling—about a third of the way through the process—about 10% of the toxin is suggested to remain,[43] and after the full three years the product is "only sold after having been checked for safety through a toxicity inspection, and other tests."[42]

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  Plate of fugu sashimi
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  Fugu no Shirako
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  Fugu-nabe, pufferfish hotpot
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  Fugu no ransou nukazuke, blowfish ovaries pickled in rice-bran paste

In Korean cuisine, edible pufferfish are prepared in various ways including gui (grilling), jorim (simmering), jjim, Bulgogi, Hoe (raw fish) and guk (soup).

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  Bogeo-bulgogi
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  Bogeo-gui (grilled pufferfish)
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  Bogeo-jorim (simmered pufferfish)
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  Bokguk (pufferfish soup)