2024 Author: Jasmine Walkman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 08:29
Fugue (Fugu) is an extremely exotic species of balloon fish, also known as the hedgehog fish. The fish has a very unusual shape and can be found in the waters around Korea and Japan.
Adult fugu fish reach a length of 50 cm and live approximately 5 years. In case of danger fugu fish fills his stomach with water, acquiring a round shape to frighten his pursuer.
Fugu has many hidden spines that protrude when the body swells, and it becomes prickly, and therefore quite difficult to swallow. The internal organs and skin of the fish contain a poison that is deadly.
One very interesting fact is that the poison, which is contained only in one fugu fish, can cause the death of 30 to 40 people. Swallowed in very small amounts, the poison has a narcotic effect and causes tickling and a slight tingling sensation that lasts for seconds after ingestion.
However, if the sensation lasts longer, death is certain because there is no antidote. The dangerous poison in fugu fish is 1250 times stronger than that in cyanide. The poison is a tetradotoxin and is found mainly in the liver, gonads and skin of fish.
The only way to save the life of a tetradotoxin poison is to maintain heart and lung function until the dangerous substance has passed. It is believed that if the victim survives the first day of consumption, he will be able to recover.
After all that has been said so far, you will tell yourself that you would never try such a fish and you will wonder who would try it at all, but you will be wrong. Fugu fish is one of the famous dishes with which Japanese cuisine is famous all over the world.
Only specially licensed cooks have the right to prepare fugu fish, without any exceptions. Here comes the other interesting point - if a customer dies after eating fugu fish, the chef was obliged to make hara-kiri. Nowadays, however, the police arrest the cook, although local customs oblige him to eat the remains of the fish, which is tantamount to suicide.
The secret of such a dangerous poison is in the way the fish itself feeds. According to some Japanese scientists, tetradotoxin accumulates in its flesh after consuming shellfish and starfish, which are themselves poisonous.
If the fish eats non-toxic food, it will not be dangerous to humans, the lack of poison will not affect its taste in any way. Some enterprising Japanese growers even already grow non-toxic fugu fish, but avid lovers believe that the charm and taste are lost in this way.
According to statistics, licensed chefs in Japan who have the right to cook fugu, are approximately 70,000 people. In order to obtain a license, a chef must have a number of skills, including the ability to determine toxicity in different parts of the fish.
The training is very serious and the final exam is extremely difficult. Candidate chef is obliged to clean and process the fish in front of a special commission, then prepare various dishes with it and finally - to eat them in front of others. An extremely interesting fact is that everyone has the right to consume fugu fish at their own risk, but the Emperor of Japan has an official ban on doing so.
Preparation of fugue
As it became clear from the above, the processing of fish fugu is a very complex and delicate process on which the client's life literally depends. The fish is processed in a 30-step process, the aim of which is to minimize the effect of the dangerous poison.
In addition to eliminating the poisonous effect, the cook is obliged to shape the dish aesthetically beautiful by cutting the fish to a thickness of a sheet. The dish is called fugusashi and is a very beautiful dish that resembles a picture shaped like a butterfly, a bird or a landscape.
Fugue is consumed by melting extremely thin pieces in a special sauce with spices. It is possible to serve fugu fish as a broth with raw egg and rice. Fugu is consumed and lightly fried.
The taste of fugu fish slightly resembles chicken with pleasant hints of seafood. The consistency resembles gelatin. Fugu fish is definitely exceptional in taste, but the risks are very real. According to the Tokyo Bureau of Social Welfare and Public Health, there were between 20 and 44 cases of fish poisoning in the 10-year period from 1996 to 2006.
However, very few of them happened on the territory of a restaurant. The danger of the fish does not stop the Japanese from enjoying its taste, eating tons of it a year - about 20 thousand a year.
The other extremely interesting point is the price of the fish - in Tokyo restaurants its price is fabulous - over $ 700 for just a quarter of sashimi with fugu.
And despite the danger and expensive price, fugu fish is one of the most prized deadly delicacies that culinary art offers, occupying one of the first places in the ranking of dangerous foods.
