Fugu fish, aka dog, aka pufferfish, diodont or fahak, is the most expensive and deadly dish of Japanese cuisine. And this is one of the oldest dishes, known to mankind. According to archaeological finds, residents Japanese islands ate fugu long before our era, and, judging by the fact that the Country rising sun is still densely populated, the ancient Japanese knew the secret of cooking this fish

Drink poison

Fugu is a small fish, only about the size of your palm, that can swim tail first. Instead of scales, she has thin elastic skin. If the fugu is frightened, it will instantly swell and take the shape of a ball studded with sharp spines. In this state, it is three times its original size. This happens due to the water that the fish abruptly sucks into itself. The deadly poison - tetrodotoxin - is found in the milk, caviar, genitals, skin and liver of fugu. This substance has a nerve-paralytic effect. It is about 1200 times more dangerous potassium cyanide. The lethal dose for humans is just one milligram of tetrodotoxin. One fish contains enough of this substance to kill forty people. Moreover, an effective antidote still does not exist. In microscopic portions, fugu venom is used as a means of preventing age-related diseases and as a cure for prostate diseases. Here is one of the ancient recipes for preparing a healing drink based on pufferfish - the poisonous fins of the fish are first fried until charred, and then dipped in sake for two minutes. They say that the intoxication from such an infusion is very specific and resembles a narcotic dope with accompanying hallucinations and aggravation of all senses. By the way, sake prepared in this way is required to be served to clients who want to taste fugu. It is believed that this ritual gives, albeit a small, but still a chance to survive in case of poisoning.

Lunch in the name of death

The owner of a restaurant that aspires to have fugu dishes on its menu is required to provide detailed reports to the sanitary inspectors of the Ministry of Health on the quantity and storage conditions of stocks of this fish in his establishment. Cutting a pufferfish – unique art, which takes a long time to learn, and only a few master it. Back in 1598, a law appeared obliging a cook who wants to cook this fish to obtain a state license. In order to enter the circle of the elite, you must pass two exams - written and practical. Approximately three-quarters of applicants are eliminated in the first test, which requires an understanding of dozens of varieties of fugu and knowledge of all detoxification methods. And during the final exam, the candidate must eat what he himself prepared.

It is not surprising that prices for such delicacies range from $100 to $500 per serving. One of the most famous fugu dishes is fugusashi. Mother of pearl slices raw fish placed in petals on a round dish. Often the chef creates a real picture from the pieces: landscapes with butterflies or a flying bird. The fish is eaten by dipping the slices in a mixture of ponzu (vinegar sauce), asatsuki (crushed chives), momiji-oroshi (grated daikon radish) and red pepper. As a rule, customers who come to specialty restaurants order only fugu. The meal begins with fugusashi, followed by fugu-zosui - a soup made from pufferfish broth decorated with rice and a raw egg, as well as lightly fried slices of the same fish. The fugu pieces are served by the chef in a strictly defined order. They start from the back - the most delicious and least poisonous, then approach the peritoneum - the place of the main accumulation of poison. The cook's duty is to vigilantly monitor the condition of the guests, not allowing them to eat more than a safe dose. To do this, it is necessary not only to know the intricacies of preparing this dish, but also to have medical knowledge, since the intensity of the effects of the poison depends on the client’s build, temperament and even skin color.

The most famous death fugu occurred in 1975. Legendary kabuki actor Mitsugoro Bando the Eighth, who was called a "living national treasure", died of paralysis after eating fugu liver in a Kyoto restaurant. This was his fourth attempt to try the dangerous dish.

Who needs this?

The most main mystery fugu - for which people take mortal risks. Fans extreme cuisine they say that the taste of pufferfish is reminiscent of Japanese silk paintings - something refined, elusive and smooth. Kitaoji Rosannin, the creator of the delightful pottery, wrote: “The taste of this fish cannot be compared with anything. If you eat fugu three or four times, you will become a slave to fugu. Anyone who refuses this dish for fear of dying deserves deep sympathy.” In addition to its incredible taste, fugu is believed to have a narcotic effect. Aerobatics when preparing puffer fish, leave just enough poison to give the eater a feeling of mild euphoria. Gourmets who have tried this fish claim that as the dish is consumed, a paralyzing wave rolls in: first the legs are taken away, then the arms, then the jaws. Only the eyes retain the ability to move. However, after a moment everything comes to life: the power of speech returns, arms and legs begin to move. Related to this is the third reason why the Japanese love fugu so much. It's all about special treatment to death. The samurai also believed that passing away from life is the apotheosis of beauty. Fugu allows you to touch the Japanese understanding of perfection and, with a successful combination of circumstances, return back. Not long ago, extremely proud scientists announced that they had bred a non-poisonous pufferfish.

It turns out that the secret was in the natural diet of the fish. Fugu does not produce toxic substances in its own body - it becomes toxic by eating poisonous starfish and shellfish. If you put a pufferfish on a diet from birth, you will get a completely safe resident depths of the sea. However, the expected sensation did not happen. After all, without its toxin, the puffer fish becomes just another type of fish - quite tasty, but not anything special. It is not for nothing that it is in the spring, when fugu is considered the most poisonous, that gourmets pay the highest price.

The most dangerous delicacy in the whole world is fugu. This is the name of a Japanese dish made from certain types of poisonous fish of the pufferfish family. These marine animals contain an extremely dangerous poison - tetrodotoxin. The poisonous fugu fish is a true legend of Japanese cuisine. Chefs have learned to prepare an extraordinary dish from the deadly animal, which still attracts gourmets from all over the world, despite its danger.

Fugu poison is used in minute quantities as a means of preventing age-related diseases and as a cure for prostate diseases.

Description of the sea animal

The fish itself from which this unusual dish is prepared is called rocktooth, dogfish or pufferfish. The puffer fish looks very interesting. Her skin is dark brown in color, covered with light spots. The average body length of the animal is about 30−40 cm, but you can often find representatives longer than 50 cm. Its body is not covered with scales.

Representatives of the pufferfish family feed on the following:

• algae and various protozoa;
• small fish;
• starfish.

If a pufferfish is frightened, it will instantly swell and take on a spherical shape, studded with sharp spines. Thanks to this feature, in this state its size increases three times. This scares away attacking fish. Even if the fugu is swallowed, it will swell in the animal's throat and cause its death.

A frightened puffer fish instantly swells and takes the shape of a ball studded with sharp spines.

Fish toxicity

Fugu is the most poisonous fish in Japan. Due to the fact that the rock tooth contains a high dose of tetrodotoxin, every year there are dozens of deaths around the world due to the consumption of this dish. A logical question arises: why fugu poison does not stop the demand for this dish and people continue to put their health in danger.

Fugu is a delicacy and is often eaten to “tickle your nerves.” The thing is that a properly prepared fugu dish puts a person in a state of mild euphoria, similar to a narcotic one. In this case, some numbness is felt in the limbs, tongue and palate.

The poison of puffer fish in the body is concentrated mainly in the following internal organs:

• in the liver;
• caviar;
• gallbladder;
• skin.

After entering the human body, it blocks the channels of nerve cells, causing respiratory arrest and muscle paralysis.

There is currently no antidote. But a person poisoned by poisonous puffer fish still has a chance to survive if the victim is promptly connected to artificial ventilation. You must wait until the action ends toxic substance, while supporting the functioning of the circulatory and respiratory systems.

Numerous studies have shown that the rocktooth cannot produce the neurotoxin on its own, but acquires it from food. Their greatest concentration of poison is in the ovaries and liver.

Cooking pufferfish

Not every restaurant in Japan offers this unique dish. In order to obtain the right to include dogfish on the menu, sanitary inspectors must provide reports on the conditions and quantity of its storage.

And chefs, in order to have the right to cook puffer fish, must pass an exam in two stages: written and practical. It is extremely difficult to pass, since you need to know all the varieties of this sea animal, as well as clearly study all the methods of detoxification. And during the practical stage you need to prepare a fugu dish and eat it yourself.

Fugu fish (pufferfish) is the most expensive and deadly dish in Japanese cuisine.

Representatives of the pufferfish family are prepared as follows:

1. Wash the fish and make an incision around the mouth.
2. Remove the eyes and cut off the spine in one sharp movement and place them in a separate tray.
3. They gut it in such a way that the poison comes out internal organs didn't get on the meat. All removed organs are also placed in a separate tray.
4. Then you need to turn the rocktooth on its belly and make an incision on the head in order to remove the brain.
5. Cut the remaining meat into fillets and you can cook it.

Currently, in some countries this family of marine animals is artificially bred. They are fed food that does not contain tetrodotoxin, which makes the pufferfish dish safe. Despite this, Japanese residents still prefer the poisonous rocktooth, considering it more tasty and interesting for consumption.

Eating a dangerous food

The average fugu dish costs about $120, and sometimes much more. The most popular fugu fish dish is fugusashi. The presentation of the dish is very beautiful: thin slices of raw fish are placed on a plate like petals.

Some chefs can create an unusual picture from pieces of fish, for example, landscapes with butterflies or a bird soaring in the sky.

The dish is consumed by dipping the slices in a vinegar sauce called ponzu, asatsuki, momiji oroshi and red pepper. After fugusashi, fugu-zosui is served. This dish is a soup made from the broth of a deadly animal with rice and raw egg, as well as fried pieces of fish fillet.

Fish pieces are served in a certain order:

• the back is served first, which has the most memorable taste and the least toxic;
• then the peritoneum, where it accumulates greatest number poison.

The cook is obliged to monitor the well-being of clients and prevent a person from eating more than a safe dose.

Tasting puffer fish is the equivalent of playing Russian roulette. The deadly poison is found in the fish's ovaries, kidneys, skin, eyes, liver and intestines. This is one of the most toxic substances, hundreds of times more poisonous than strychnine or cyanide. The poison is so deadly that it can kill an adult in a matter of minutes. In this article you will learn what it is.

Fugu fish - a deadly delicacy

There are more than 120 species of fugu, differing in the potency of their poison. The most dangerous part of the fish is the liver, which the Japanese consider the most delicious part of the fish. Methods for removing poison from the liver are not always reliable. The best chefs intentionally leave out a large number of poison, so that you can feel the tingling of your lips and feel all the fleetingness of life.

It is the toxicity and risk of death that makes fugu such a popular dish. The Japanese eat 10,000 tons of this fish per year. There are approximately 80,000 fugu chefs in Osaka alone. It is considered a winter delicacy, most popular in December and January. The preferred species in Japan is torafugu, a species native to Japanese waters. Tokyo is the country's largest fish consumption center. The word "fugu" is made up of two Chinese characters meaning "river" and "pig". Literally it turns out - river pig.

Puffer fish video:

Puffer fish: history

The bones of this fish have been found in burial mounds dating back to 10,000 BC. Fugu was mentioned in the first chronological records of Japan, written in 720. In the late 1500s, fish was banned after... mass poisoning troops before the invasion of Korea. The ban lasted for 200 years until Japan's first Prime Minister, Hirobumu Ito, tried fugu meat. He was so delighted that he demanded that the ban be lifted.

The settlement of Shimonoseki on the southern tip of Honshu is particularly famous. About 500 fugu cooks live here, and a bronze monument to fugu was built in front of the fish market. This fish is even depicted on manhole covers in the city. Every February, people pray for a good catch of fugu in front of a special shrine, and send the fish to the Emperor as a gift. The Japanese Emperor is forbidden to even touch this poisonous fish.

Fugu fish poison

Puffer fish poison is a tetrodotoxin. A neurotoxin that blocks electrical impulses in nerves by disrupting the flow of sodium ions into nerve cells. Tetrodotoxin is approximately 500 to 1,000 times more potent than potassium cyanide. One gram of fugu venom is enough to kill 500 people and there is no known antidote. This poison in Japan is called only teppo (“pistol”). It comes from the expression teppo ni ataru ("to be shot"). The word ataru also means "to suffer from food poisoning."

The venom causes dizziness, numbness of the mouth and lips, weakness, nausea, diarrhea, sweating, breathing problems, seizures, blue lips, intense itching, and vomiting. Victims who eat a lot of fugu literally turn into zombies when they realize what's happening but can't even move. Some fugu are poisonous and some are not, but even experts can't explain why. Some scientists believe that fugu is not naturally toxic. They claim to get their poison from eating bacteria contained in creatures such as Starfish, worms and other molluscs. Many people disagree with them, arguing that fugu produces poison through glands under the skin.

Scientists in Nagasaki developed a non-poisonous species of fugu by feeding the fish mackerel and other non-poisonous foods. Fans appreciated its taste and said that it was as pleasant as that of fugu with poisonous organs. Many restaurants immediately took a keen interest in the liver of the non-poisonous fugu, because this part of the fish is usually prohibited. But many have rightly stated that “Non-toxic fugu is boring. This fish is attractive precisely because of its toxicity.”

If you like dangerous fish, then read also about .

Death by fugu

Every year, approximately 20 people in Japan suffer from fugu meat poisoning, and some of them die. Fourteen people died from the poison between 2002 and 2006. In early 2009, six men in northern Japan were poisoned after eating fried pufferfish eggs prepared by an unlicensed chef. In the 1950s, 400 people died and 31,056 were poisoned in just one single year. Most poisonings and deaths are attributed to amateur cooks who incompetently prepare this popular delicacy.

Cooking fugu

To prepare fugu fish, the cook must follow 30 prescribed steps, breaking even one of which could result in him losing his license. After the poisonous parts are removed with a special knife, the fish is cut into pieces and then washed under water to remove toxins and blood. Poisoned organs are placed in special containers that are kept under lock and key. They are disposed of as radioactive waste in a waste incineration plant.

The cooks take live fish from the aquarium and pierce her head with a hammer. The flesh is cut into thin pieces and the still beating heart is removed. Some experts say that removing toxin-containing parts is relatively simple process. Others disagree, since the poisonous parts may vary depending on various types pufferfish. One marine biologist told Yomirui newspaper: “Even professionals have difficulty identifying the poisonous part of some pufferfish because they are different from each other. The same fish needs to be tested by several people with proper knowledge.”

Celebrity sushi chef Yitaka Sasaki said Los Angeles Times that the lip numbness claim is a mistake. “That's a lie,” he said. “If you eat puffer fish and your lips are numb, you are on the way to death.”

Fugu dishes

Typically, a fugu tasting costs $40 - $100 per person and usually includes five courses. These include raw fugu, fried, stewed, as well as soups and broths. The fish is often marinated in vinegar and topped with a spicy sauce containing a mixture of Japanese radish, Welsh chives, seaweed and soy sauce.

“He who eats fugu is a fool, but so is he who does not eat,” is a popular proverb in Japan. Fugu fish is a true legend of Japanese cuisine, the subject of horror, curiosity and lust of gourmets around the world.

The cost of a set meal based on fugu can exceed $1,000. One fish in Japan sells for about $300. But such a high cost is justified not only by the relative rarity of the fish, but also by the complexity of its preparation.

The fact is that the body of the fugu is literally soaked deadly poison tetrodotoxin. In one fish, which easily fits in the palm of your hand, it will be enough to poison 30-40 people. Tetrodotoxin is ten times more toxic than the famous poison curare and 400 times more toxic than strychnine. The venom of the fugu quickly paralyzes the muscles and leads to respiratory arrest. It is possible to save a poisoned person only if he is immediately taken to an artificial respiration and circulatory support apparatus. There is no effective antidote for tetrodotoxin yet. Time magazine included fugu in its list of the ten most dangerous foods in the world.

AR

If you touch bare hand to the insides of the fish, you can die almost immediately. Therefore, the work of those chefs who know how to cook fugu is well paid in Japan. Of course, a person who decides to try this deadly dish must understand that his life completely depends on the skill of the specialist who will prepare it. Therefore, there can be no question of offering this dish at low prices. By the way, the exclusivity of the fugu is added by the fact that its fishing and sale are prohibited in many countries of the world.

Read also in the Lifestyle&Fashion section

As for Japan, fugu was eaten in this country more than two thousand years ago. Then on for a long time banned. Finally, in 1958, fugu became legal again, but only licensed chefs could cook it. To get it, a person must understand dozens of varieties of fugu and know the most safe ways her preparations. The practical exam for obtaining a license is that the cook himself must eat the entire fugu he prepares. And once in ancient times there was an unofficial law: if a restaurant visitor died from a cooked dish, the cook had to commit seppuku - ritual suicide.

Reuters

Cooking fugu is an extremely complex process. All the entrails, liver, and caviar are removed from the fish - they are too dangerous to eat. As a rule, fugu liver is available only to the local elite in establishments closed to prying eyes. The fillet is thoroughly washed, cut into thin slices and served. The chefs' special skill is to leave just enough poison on the surface of the fillet so that the restaurant client remains alive, but at the same time feels his tongue, palate and, sometimes, limbs go numb. In this case, the person feels not only numbness, but also a mild form of euphoria akin to a drug.

It is now relatively safe to consume this dish in good restaurants. But you should not underestimate the danger of fugu. In 1975, all of Japan was shocked by the death of the legendary local kabuki actor Mitsugoro Bando, who was called a “national treasure” in the country. He died of paralysis after eating fugu liver in a Kyoto restaurant. In September 2010, fugu fish soup caused the death of two tourists from Russia.

Belonging to the pufferfish family. Many members of this family are often called puffer fish. Most often, fugu is prepared from a fish of the white rocktooth species, which is also called dogfish, pufferfish, globefish or bloating fish.

The puffer fish is not at all scary in appearance: it is only the size of a palm, swims tail first, very slowly. Instead of scales - thin elastic skin, capable of swelling in case of danger to a size three times larger than the original - a kind of goggle-eyed, outwardly harmless ball. However, the liver, skin, intestines, caviar, milk and even its eyes contain tetrodoxin - a strong nerve poison, 1 mg of which is a lethal dose for humans. There is no effective antidote for it yet, although the poison itself, in microscopic doses, is used to prevent age-related diseases, as well as to treat prostate diseases.

In Japan poisonous fish Fugu is considered a delicacy, and although cooking from it is only possible with the appropriate license, up to 100 people die from fugu poisoning every year. For the most part, these are curious people who decide to cook fugu at home, not knowing all the intricacies of cooking, tetradoxine drug addicts (there is an opinion that tetradoxine has a narcotic effect in small doses) or extreme sports people who, for some money, order liver from the cook, where exactly and the largest amount of poison is concentrated.

Restaurant owners who want to have puffer fish on their menu are required to provide the sanitary inspectors of the Ministry of Health with detailed reports on the quantity of fish and the conditions of its storage. Chefs who cook fugu are required to have a state license allowing them to do so. To obtain a license, they pass two exams: first a written one, in which about three-quarters of applicants are eliminated, and then a practical one, when the applicant must eat the dish he has prepared.

Fugu fish: preparation

The most expensive and most delicious fugu fish is the tiger fish, “tora fugu,” so called because of its color. Fish processing is a complex process involving 30 steps, the goal of which is to reduce the effect of tetradoxine to a minimum. It is not at all surprising that the cost of one serving of such a delicacy ranges from $100 to $500.

Fugu is consumed raw, since tetrodoxin is lost during heat treatment. poisonous properties. One of the most famous, very special in taste and very beautiful dishes from it is “Fugusashi”-sashimi. Thin and very sharp knife the cook cuts oral apparatus, fins, then opens the belly, carefully removes all the poisonous parts of the fish, removes the skin and cuts the fillet into the thinnest petals. The meat is thoroughly washed with water to remove the slightest traces of poison and blood. The cook places the finished plates, no thicker than paper, on a plate, sometimes creating literally amazing works of art: an image of a butterfly, a landscape, a flying crane with an outstretched neck and outstretched wings...

Fugusashi is eaten in a strictly defined order. First the back - the most delicious and least poisonous part, then the parts located closer to the belly - there is more poison there. It is the cook's responsibility to monitor the condition of the guests eating the dish and not allow them to eat more than a safe dose. The cook must know not only the intricacies of cooking, but also have knowledge in the medical field, since the intensity of the action of tetrodoxin depends on the complexion and, not surprisingly, skin color.

Fugu fish has been revered in Japan for centuries and has become a true cult in the country. In Tokyo, in one of its parks, there is a monument to the puffer fish. There is a temple near Osaka where there is a specially carved tombstone in honor of her. Japanese craftsmen make candlesticks, lamps and even kites depicting puffer fish.