Eating Deadly Blowfish in Japan
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We bring you news of the biggest fish craze in Asia.
In Japan, they aren’t squeamish about food. And that is why Big Earth gets to bring you the scary report on ‘Fugu’- a blowfish that is considered by many gourmets as a special feast and the most exquisite, terrifying and expensive fish to eat in the world! Wowzers.. The fish is expensive not only because it’s priced at more than £200 per person in restaurants, but it could also cause instantaneous death if not prepared correctly. In fact a famous chef from Iron Chef, Kaga Takeshi, died from blowfish poisoning just a few years ago.
Blowfish itself, is a salt water fish which contains lethal amounts of the poison tetrodotoxin in its organs and its skin. This substance is considered 1250 times more lethal than cyanide, and estimated to be 160,000 times more potent than cocaine. A mere one milligram of it can shut down the human central nervous system, causing muscles to be paralyzed whilst the victim dies of asphyxiation. There is not even a known antidote.
But don’t let that put you off. Blowfish has been consumed by the discerning Japanese gourmets for centuries, who view this cuisine as a delicacy worth dying for. Since 1983, strict government laws only allow licensed chefs to prepare and sell blowfish to the public. It even takes 5 years to become a blowfish chef, and only 30% of chefs pass the apprenticeship necessary.
So are you ready to face the challenge of eating the world’s most deadly fish?
