![]() ![]() The brave ones who’ve tried it over the years, have described its taste as very chewy, but also as fresh, clean and really subtle. All the above facts contribute to the high price of a puffer fish dish! It’s also worth mentioning though, that far more people die each year from oyster consuming, than of Fugu. ![]() ![]() The government puts aspiring chefs through serious exams, in which they have to determine the poisonous from the edible parts and be able to recognize and identify all the puffer fish species, in order to get that license. Furthermore, the poisonous parts can vary between species, so the expertise level of the chef has to be at an excellent level, to say the least. These would be the gills, the heart, the eyes, the gallbladder, the kidney, the liver and the ovaries of the females -which unlike the male’s testicles!!- aren’t considered to be a delicacy and are highly poisonous. With 30 to 50 people per year being hospitalized in Japan, due to poor cooked Torafugu, it’s no wonder that only specially trained and licensed chefs can prepare the dish for a luxury dinner! The chefs must be able to tell the difference between which parts of the fish are, in fact, so deadly. But the catch is that not everyone is allowed to cook it. The fresh fish can be found at high end restaurants served as sashimi, deep fried or can even be used for the making of Sake. Purchasing of the Torafugu from restaurant owners happens though a bidding process and safety measures can be really harsh when selling such a dangerous species. The most prized –and most poisonous- amongst all the others, is the infamous Tiger Puffer Fish, or Torafugu as the locals call it… However, that’s not the only reason it’s so expensive. Since there are 122 different species of puffer fish, with only 22 different kinds being approved by the Japanese government for consuming, its price doesn’t come as a surprise. In fact, in high season the mighty fish could cost you up to 265$ per kilo. Have you ever heard of Fugu? If not, let us introduce you to the deadly puffer fish that’s being served as a fresh fish delicacy in Japan and costs way more than you’d think! If you can’t remember what a puffer fish is, think of the puffy, cute fish on Finding Nemo… The one that used to inflate and become like a huge ball when enraged! Well people in Japan apparently find it very cute, since they eat about 10.000 tons of the fish each year, and pay handsomely to do so. ![]()
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