Fugu

The fugu (河豚; 鰒; フグ) in
Fugu possesses a potentially fatal poison known as tetrodotoxin, therefore necessitating meticulous preparation to eliminate poisonous components and prevent the fish meat from being contaminated.[1]
The restaurant preparation of fugu is strictly controlled by law in Japan,[2] Korea and several other countries, and only chefs who have qualified after three or more years of rigorous training are allowed to prepare the fish.[1][3] Domestic preparation occasionally leads to accidental death.[3]
Throughout Japan, fugu is served as sashimi and nabemono.[3] The liver was served as a traditional dish named fugu-kimo, being widely thought to be a tasty part, but it is also the most poisonous, and serving this organ in restaurants was banned in Japan in 1984.[3]
In the gastronomic domains of East Asian cuisine, fugu has emerged as a highly renowned delicacy, garnering widespread acclaim in establishing itself as one of the most celebrated dishes in Japanese and Korean cuisine. Fugu has also been gradually emerging as a prized seafood delicacy in the Chinese culinary landscape as well.
Diversity
There are close to 200 species in the family Tetraodontidae (pufferfish), a family of primarily marine and estuarine fish of the order Tetraodontiformes. However, only some of them are eaten and traded as "fugu".
Toxicity
Fugu contains lethal amounts of the poison
Researchers have determined that a fugu's tetrodotoxin comes from eating other animals infested with tetrodotoxin-laden bacteria, to which the fish develops insensitivity over time.[10] Whether tetrodotoxin is sequestered from or produced by symbiotic bacteria is still debated.[11] As such, efforts have been made in research and aquaculture to allow farmers to produce safe fugu. Farmers now produce poison-free fugu by keeping the fish away from the bacteria – see § Aquaculture below.[10]
Tetrodotoxin
Tetrodotoxin (TTX) is a natural product that has been isolated not only from pufferfish, but also octopuses, crabs, shellfish, frogs, newts, and other aquatic animals (see below).[12] It is a potent neurotoxin that shuts down electrical signaling in nerves; it acts via interaction with components of the sodium channels in the cell membranes of those cells.[12] Its ability to cross the blood–brain barrier is uncertain.[13] In the case of the pufferfish host, at least (see below), their insusceptibility to the poison is thought to result from cysteine asperagine amino acid substitutions in the sequence of their specific types of sodium channel proteins.[14]
TTX is not produced by pufferfish and the other aquatic animals from which it has been isolated. Rather, bacteria such as Alteromonas, Shewanella, and Vibrio species infect or cohabit with the animal species from which TTX is isolated, and a bacterial biosynthetic pathway for its production has been rationalized.[12][15][16]
In animal studies with mice, the median lethal dose of TTX was found to be 232 μg per kg body weight.[17] Tetrodotoxin levels are affected by preparation (removal of most toxic materials, treatments such as curing and pickling, see below); it is, however, reportedly not significantly affected by cooking.[18]
Despite its toxicity, TTX has clinical therapeutic applications, being evaluated in phase II and III clinical trials to be effective for treating cancer-related pain without increasing serious adverse events.[19]
Consumption
History

The inhabitants of Japan have eaten fugu for centuries. Fugu bones have been found in several
In China, the use of the pufferfish for culinary purposes was already well-established by the Song dynasty as one of the "three delicacies of the Yangtze" (Chinese: 長江三鮮), alongside saury and Reeve's shad,[22] and appears in the writings of the polymath Shen Kuo[23] as well as in the encyclopedic work Taiping Guangji.[24] The scholar-statesman Su Shi famously remarked that the taste is worthy of death (值那一死).[25]
In 1774 James Cook during his second voyage, together with Johann Reinhold Forster and Georg Forster, ate some liver of a fish bartered from a native of an island in New Caledonia, likely a pufferfish. All three suffered symptoms of poisoning but survived.[26]
Species
The torafugu, or tiger pufferfish ( (Harisenbon) of the family Diodontidae.
Regulations
Japan

Strict fishing regulations are now in place to protect fugu populations from depletion. Most fugu is now harvested in the spring during the
Fugu prices rise in autumn and peak in winter, the best season, because they fatten to survive the cold. Live fish arrive at a restaurant, surviving in a large tank, usually prominently displayed. Prepared fugu is also often available in grocery stores, which must display official license documents. Whole fish may not be sold to the general public.
Since 1958, fugu chefs must earn a license to prepare and sell fugu to the public. This involves a two- or three-year apprenticeship. The licensing examination process consists of a written test, a fish-identification test, and a practical test, preparing and eating the fish. Only about 35 percent of the applicants pass.[28] Small miscalculations result in failure or, in rare cases, death. Consumers believe that this training process makes it safer to eat fugu in restaurants or markets.[29] Non-poisonous fugu can be produced by keeping the fish away from the bacteria that makes them poisonous.[10]
Since October 2012, restaurants in Japan have been permitted to sell fugu that has been prepared and packaged by a licensed practitioner elsewhere.[30]
The Saga Prefecture in Japan has petitioned the Food Safety Commission of Japan three times to reconsider its ban on fugu liver, stating that its farmed fugu is non-toxic. The FSCJ has rejected the proposals thrice due to "data insufficient to prove safety".[31][32] NYT reported in 2008 that there is a well-known underground fugu-kimo scene in another Japanese town, Usuki, Ōita.[10]
Korea
In Ancient time, the bone of fugu was found in Gimhae and other coastal villages which have important features in archaeology. In Goryeo and Joseon, Fugu was widely consumed and the penal law confined the guilty about Fugu if some one who is died although standardised qaulification did not existed.[33][34]
After 1948, When Government of Korea and Provincial Governments in Korea were established. They restricted the cook of Fugu. They established qualification who can cook Fugu. So Fugu Chef must have qualification if he or she is hired by the restaurant or open his or her restaurant.[35]
The qualification is required both writing test and practical test. Qualification test deal the poisons of Fugu, hygine, basic food safety law and conceptions of Cuisine. practical test require 56 minutes to remove the poisons in fugu and cook raw fish, bulgogi and soup. Its qualifing score is 60 of 100.[36]
China
China began issuing trial permits for serving fugu to restaurants in 2003. In 2016, the Chinese government abolished the permit system and allowed all restaurants to buy and serve farmed fish (without organs), now widely available. By 2019, such restaurants have become commonplace.[37] China also allowed ordinary households to buy processed (organ-removed) whole fish online starting in 2017.[38]
Cost
In the case of
In China, packaged farmed fugu cost CN¥330 (US$50) per kilogram as of February 2023[update].[40]
Treatment
The symptoms of tetrodotoxin poisoning include dizziness, exhaustion, headache, nausea, or difficulty breathing. The person remains conscious but cannot speak or move. In high doses, breathing stops and
There is no known antidote, and treatment consists of emptying the stomach, administering activated charcoal to bind the toxin, and putting the person on life support until the poison has worn off. Toxicologists have been working on developing an antidote for tetrodotoxin.
Incidents
Between 1996 and 2006, statistics from the Tokyo Bureau of Social Welfare and Public Health indicate 20–44 annual incidents of fugu poisoning in Japan, some affecting multiple diners.[citation needed] Annually, 34–64 people were hospitalized and 0–6 died, with an average fatality rate of 6.8% of those hospitalized.[41] Of the 23 incidents reported in Tokyo from 1993 through 2006, only one took place in a restaurant; all others involved people catching and eating the fish.[41] Poisonings through amateur preparation can result from confusion between types of puffer, as well as improper methods. Some may also represent deliberate suicide attempts; Engelbert Kaempfer, a German physician who resided in Japan in the 1690s, reported that an unusually toxic variety of puffer was sometimes sought out by individuals who wished to take their own lives.[42]
Much higher figures were reported in earlier years, peaking in 1958 when 176 people died from eating fugu in a single year.[28] According to the Fugu Research Institute, 50% of the victims were poisoned by eating the liver, 43% from eating the ovaries, and 7% from eating the skin. One of the most famous victims was the Kabuki actor and "Living National Treasure" Bandō Mitsugorō VIII, who in 1975 died after eating four servings of fugu kimo (fugu liver),[16] the sale of which was prohibited by local ordinances at the time.[43] Bandō claimed to be able to resist the poison,[16] but died several hours after returning to his hotel.[43]
On August 23, 2007, a doctor in Thailand reported that unscrupulous fish sellers sold puffer meat disguised as salmon, which caused fifteen deaths over three years. About 115 people were taken to different hospitals. Fugu had been banned in Thailand five years prior to the deaths.[44]
In March 2008, a fisherman in the Philippines died and members of his family became ill from pufferfish. The previous year, four people in the same town died and five others had fallen ill after eating the same variety of pufferfish.[45]
In February 2009, a Malaysian fisherman died and four others were hospitalised after they consumed a meal of pufferfish when they ran out of food while at sea.[46]
In November 2011, a chef at two-
Five men were poisoned at a restaurant in Wakayama in March 2015 after specifically asking for liver.[48][49][50]
In December 2020, 3 people in the Philippines died, while 4 more were hospitalized after eating pufferfish.[51]
In March 2023, an elderly woman and her husband in Malaysia died after consuming pufferfish purchased from a fishmonger.[52]
In January 2024, a Brazilian man, 46, died after eating pufferfish gifted to him by a friend.[53]
Preparations
China
Although not as frequently consumed as in Japan and Korea,[
Japan
- Sashimi — The most popular dish is fugu sashimi, also called Fugu sashi or tessa. Knives with exceptionally thin blades are used for cutting fugu into translucent slices, a technique known as Usuzukuri (薄造, うすづくり).[54]
- Milt — The soft roe (Shirako) of the blowfish is a highly prized food item in Japan, and it is often found in department stores. Along with cod milt, it is one of the most popular kinds of soft roe, and it is often grilled and served with salt.
- Fried — Fugu can be eaten deep friedas Fugu Kara-age.
- Smoked — Fugu-fin sake. Sake infused with the smoked fin of the blowfish (fugu) to give a distinctive smoky, fishy flavour known as Hire-zake.[55]
- Stew — Vegetables and fugu can be simmered as Fugu-chiri, also called tetchiri, in which case the fish's very light taste is hard to distinguish from the vegetables and the broth.
- Salad — If the spikes in the skin are pulled out, the skin can be eaten as part of a salad called yubiki.
In the cuisine of Hakusan, Ishikawa, ovaries are served after reducing the toxin level by salting and pickling for three years, in a dish named "blowfish ovaries pickled in rice-bran paste" (河豚の卵巣の糠漬け, ふぐのらんそうのぬかづけ). The dish is only made in specific regions of Ishikawa Prefecture (Mikawa district, Ono district, Kanaiwa district, and Wajima), and only the traditional method is permitted.[56] Non-professionals are warned against attempting the process.[57] After one year of pickling, about 10% of the toxin is suggested to remain,[58] and after the full three years the product is "only sold after having been checked for safety through a toxicity inspection, and other tests."[57]
-
Plate of fugu sashimi
-
Fugu no Shirako
-
Fugu-nabe, pufferfishhotpot
-
Fugu no ransou nukazuke, blowfish ovaries pickled in rice-bran paste
Korea
In
In some villages in North Jeolla Province, Fugu eggs are preserved as Jeotgal with the supervision by Government of Jeollabuk-do Province.
-
Bogeo-bulgogi
-
Bogeo-gui (grilled pufferfish)
-
Bogeo-jorim (simmered pufferfish)
-
Bokguk(pufferfish soup)
Availability
East Asia
China
Despite the comparatively lower consumption rate of the fish in comparison to other East Asian nations, the prevalence of fugu restaurants has experienced a significant surge across Chinese urban areas since 2016. The fish is only sold in a processed form (without organs) with a test certificate from the fishery.[37] In 2023, processed raw farmed fugu across China is sold to ordinary customers online.[40]
Japan
Most Japanese cities have one or more fugu restaurants, perhaps in clusters because of earlier restrictions, as proximity made it easier when transporting the seafood delicacy so as to preserve its long-term freshness upon being served to potential patrons. A famous restaurant specializing in fugu is Takefuku, in the upscale Ginza district in Tokyo with Zuboraya being another popular restaurant chain in Osaka that both offer the celebrated seafood delicacy. The fugu is cleaned of its most toxic parts in Japan and freeze-flown to the United States under license in clearly customized plastic containers. Fugu chefs who cook in American restaurants are trained under the same rigorous and stringent specifications as in Japan. Pufferfish native to American waters, particularly the genus Spheroides, have also been consumed as a seafood delicacy, sometimes resulting in poisoning incidents.[59]
Korea
In Korea, fugu is known as bok-eo (복어), the seafood delicacy is very popular in southern port cities such as Busan and Changwon. It is prepared in a number of ways resulting in a variety of dishes ranging from soups, raw fish and salads, all of which command a high price. Fugu Bulgogi and Jorim are popular in Daegu.
Europe
Sale of fish belonging to this family (Tetraodontidae) is forbidden altogether in the European Union.[60] In Switzerland, the importation of fugu is legal, but only as long as it is purchased exclusively for private consumption.[61]
North America
United States
Fugu chefs who cook in American restaurants are trained under the same rigorous and stringent specifications as in Japan. Pufferfish native to American waters, particularly the genus Spheroides, have also been consumed as a seafood delicacy, sometimes resulting in poisoning incidents.[62] Japanese restaurateur Nobuyoshi Kuraoka waged a five-year legal battle with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to allow the exclusive import of the Japanese Tiger puffer into his Manhattan restaurant, with the license finally being granted to him in 1989.[63][64][65] By 2003, only seventeen restaurants in the United States were licensed to serve fugu; fourteen in New York State, twelve of which are in New York City.
Social aspects

In the
A rakugo, or humorous short story, tells of three men who prepared a fugu stew but were unsure whether it was safe to eat. To test the stew, they gave some to a beggar. When it did not seem to do him any harm, they ate the stew. Later, they met the beggar again and were delighted to see that he was still in good health. After that encounter, the beggar, who had hidden the stew instead of eating it, knew that it was safe and he could eat it. The three men had been fooled by the wise beggar.
Lanterns can be made from the bodies of preserved fugu. These are occasionally seen outside of fugu restaurants, as children's toys, as folk art, or as souvenirs. Fugu skin is also made into everyday objects like wallets or waterproof boxes.
Aquaculture
Scientists at Nagasaki University have succeeded in culturing non-toxic torafugu by restricting the fish's diet. The experiment included raising over 5,000 fish between the years 2001–2004, and analyzing the toxicity of muscle, skin, gonads, livers, and other organs. The team concluded that the amount of tetrodotoxin in all those parts was non-toxic, and it would allow for the safe preparation of fugu-kimo (puffer liver).[67] Usuki, a town in Ōita Prefecture, has become known for selling non-poisonous fugu by 2008.[10]
Blowfish, specifically the
See also
- Cuisine of China
- Cuisine of Japan
- Cuisine of Korea
- Delicacy
- Fugu Plan
- "One Fish, Two Fish, Blowfish, Blue Fish"
- Shanghai Fugu Agreement
Notes
- ^ In Classical Chinese and the various regional varieties of Chinese, there are nearly a dozen synonyms that refer to the toxic pufferfish, including 䲅, 𩷪鱼, 黄驹, 魺, 嗔鱼, 鲑, 鲐鱼, 鮧, 鯸鲐, 鯸鮧, 鰗鮧, 鹕夷, 芽依, 鯸䱌, and 䰽.
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The only places in Japan where "blowfish ovaries pickled in rice-bran paste " [sic] is made are the Mikawa district of Hakusan City, the Ono and Kanaiwa districts of Kanazawa City, and Wajima City, all in Ishikawa Prefecture. [...] none of the producers can change their method of production. "Blowfish ovaries pickled in rice bran " [sic] is still being made using the same traditional methods as ever.
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Further reading
- Bane V, Lehane M, Dikshit M, O'Riordan A, Furey A (February 2014). "Tetrodotoxin: chemistry, toxicity, source, distribution and detection". Toxins. 6 (2): 693–755. PMID 24566728.
- Lago J, Rodríguez LP, Blanco L, Vieites JM, Cabado AG (October 2015). "Tetrodotoxin, an Extremely Potent Marine Neurotoxin: Distribution, Toxicity, Origin and Therapeutical Uses". Marine Drugs. 13 (10): 6384–406. PMID 26492253.
- Miller S (2004-06-02). "Survey of Tetrodotoxin Syntheses" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2015-11-23.
- Centers for Disease Control (1996-05-17). "Tetrodotoxin Poisoning Associated With Eating Puffer Fish Transported from Japan"(online PDF). Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. 45 (19): 389–412. Retrieved 27 February 2016.
- Benzer T (2005). "Toxicity, Tetrodotoxin". Emedicine.com.
{{cite journal}}
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(help) - Sueyoshi´, Sueyoshi's pages on fishes. Retrieved Sep 11, 2004
- "The Fugu Genomics Project". School of Biological & Chemical Sciences. Queen Mary university of London. Archived from the original on 2009-03-22. Retrieved 2006-04-11.
- Elgar G, Clark MS, Meek S, Smith S, Warner S, Edwards YJ, Bouchireb N, Cottage A, Yeo GS, Umrania Y, Williams G, Brenner S (October 1999). "Generation and analysis of 25 Mb of genomic DNA from the pufferfish Fugu rubripes by sequence scanning". Genome Research. 9 (10): 960–71. PMID 10523524. Archived from the originalon 2008-01-29. Retrieved 2008-01-14.
- Vietmeyer ND (August 1984). "The Preposterous Puffer". OCLC 643483454.
External links
- Personal Account of surviving a fugu poisoning
- BBC article with video of fugu preparation
- Fugu eaten from the Red Sea, with no poisoning at all
- A Delicacy to Die For at National Geographic Magazine
- View the fr3 genome assembly in the UCSC Genome Browser
- Saveur Magazine video of Manhattan's Restaurant Nippon's Fugu dishes.
- Subtitled documentary on Nobuyoshi Kuraoka's 5-year battle with the FDA to serve Fugu at his Manhattan restaurant.