The pieces of thinly sliced fugu meat are usually arranged in the shape of a chrysanthemum flower which, somewhat fittingly, is a symbol of death in Japan. Fugusashi may also be served aburi-style, with the exterior surface of the meat broiled and underneath still raw. Because the raw meat can be chewy, it’s sliced thinly to the point where it becomes transparent and is usually served on an elaborately patterned plate so that the design of the plate shows through the pieces of sashimi. When eaten as sashimi, it’s known as “ fugusashi” or “ tessa” in the Western Kansai region. Some people say they can feel a tingling sensation from trace amounts of fugu toxin in the meat. Fugu meat is non-fatty and has a uniquely firm texture. One of the most popular ways to eat fugu is raw in sushi or sashimi.
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How to Eat Fugu Raw: Fugu Sashimi, Fugu Sushi Read on to learn more about the different ways to enjoy this tantalizing delicacy. Fugu is best eaten from October to March, with the peak season from December to February when pufferfish grow fat to survive the cold weather. Nagasaki prefecture accounts for 60% of Japan’s farmed pufferfish. In addition, the numbers of fugu-related deaths in Japan have fallen sharply in the last decade, with isolated incidents usually occurring due to someone catching and attempting to prepare the poisonous fish themselves.įamous locations for wild pufferfish in Japan include the Fukuoka, Yamaguchi, and Shimane prefectures. Previously only licensed chefs were allowed to prepare fugu, but now whole fugu can be sold to restaurants with the poisonous parts already removed, which reduces the risk involved. Among the many different varieties of fugu, the two main kinds eaten in Japan are Torafugu and Mafugu. While researchers have managed to raise non-toxic fugu, wild fugu is still more common. These must be properly disposed of as hazardous waste, stored in a special locked container, and burned. A special knife called a “ fugu hiki” is used to slice the fish and carefully remove the poisonous organs to ensure that no toxins can contaminate the meat. The ovaries of the fish are highly deadly, but the liver and intestines can be toxic as well. Wild fugu have different amounts of poison depending on species, and the amount of poison also varies with the season.
When fugu began to be eaten again during the Meiji era, it was considered a gourmet delicacy as only highly-skilled chefs could prepare the potentially deadly fish. Eating fugu was banned from the 1600s to 1800s by the shogunate after a number of samurai died from fugu poisoning.
Commonly known in English as pufferfish, globefish, or blowfish, fugu is found in the Sea of Japan and has been consumed in Japan since the Jomon period, which dates back to 10,000 BC. Fugu is one of Japan’s most notorious foods, a delicacy famous for containing a toxin 1,200 times more deadly than cyanide and which has no known antidote.
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