Fugu is the Japanese word for Pufferfish or Blowfish, the most delicate, dangerous & expensive fish in the world. Because Fugu is lethally poisonous if prepared incorrectly, it has become one of the most celebrated & notorious dishes in Japanese cuisine.
In Japan, discerning gourmets pay tremendous prices for a dinner of
Fugu, ranging from about US$100 – US$200 per person.
Fugu is extremely expensive & only prepared by trained, licensed chefs who know that one bad cut means almost certain death for a customer. In fact, many such deaths occur annually. Hence, the fish is sliced very carefully to obtain the largest possible amount of meat without the poison. A special knife called
Fugu Hiki, is traditionally used to slice
Fugu.
Each year, these incidents led to between 34 & 64 victims being hospitalized & zero to six deaths. One of the most famous victims was the
Kabuki actor & "
living national treasure" Band� Mitsugor� VIII who requested 4 servings of
Fugu liver (the most toxic part) & died after eating them. Although
Fugu is much celebrated by connoisseurs, the
‘forbidden fruit’ is the only delicacy officially prohibited to the Emperor of Japan.
Because of all these notorious facts, plus I ain’t a fish lover, it took quite a while for me to take up the challenge & to accept my Japanese friend’s invitation to this popular Fugu restaurant,
Tora Fugu Tei, at Ginza. I’m glad I’d the privilege of surviving the ordeal & live to tell the tale & not writhing on a hospital bed with convulsions.
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