![]() ![]() Hirezake, a fugu-based tipple made from burning the fish’s fin over charcoal and then placing it into a cup of warm sake (rice wine).įugu dishes cost about 5,000 yen ($50). But the best chefs leave in just enough poison for it to tingle the lips, hinting at the fragility of life - an enduring theme of the Japanese aesthetic.Īt Karato, retail stores display plates of pufferfish sashimi that are works of art: transparent, paper-thin strips cut into designs resembling chrysanthemum petals, peacocks tails, butterflies and even Mount Fuji. Since then, cooking techniques have been developed and honed to remove the toxin-carrying organs of the fish and today, the Japanese consume about 10,000 tonnes ofįugu annually. He enjoyed it so much that he lifted the prohibition. In 1888, the country’s first post-Meiji Restoration Prime Minister, Itou Hirobumi, stopped by a traditional restaurant in Shimonoseki, and was servedįugu, which the locals had not given up eating despite its illicit status. There have been no cases of poisoning in Yamaguchi Prefecture, where Shimonoseki is located, for decades.īetween the late 16th and 18th centuries, however, the sale ofįugu was banned in Japan. The fish is also low in fat and high in protein. The consensus is thatįugu is delicious, prized for its subtle flavour and unique chewy texture. Yet, at the Karato market, no one appears too worried. In the event, the sold products were retrieved and no fatalities occurred, but considerable panic was generated. Just last year, a supermarket in Gamagori city in central Honshu failed to remove the liver from a batch ofįugu before putting it on sale. According to the Tokyo Bureau of Social Welfare and Public Health, of all theįugu -related deaths reported in the capital city between 19, only one took place at a restaurant. In Japan, chefs who cook atįugu -serving restaurants are required by law to have a special licence certifying that they are trained in removing all the potentially toxic parts of the fish, including its liver, kidneys and ovaries. On average, about 50 people across the archipelago sufferįugu poisoning every year, although the vast majority of these are the result of mistakes made by amateur, home cooks. There can be enough poison in a single pufferfish to kill 30 adult humans. But despite its almost comical appearance, theįugu secretes a powerful neurotoxin that is up to 1,200 times more poisonous than cyanide. They decorate shop fronts and even manhole covers. Images of this fat, friendly looking fish are so ubiquitous in Shimonoseki, as to almost be its mascot. The difference is that the fish here is both fresher and cheaper, and dominated by the deadly delicacy of pufferfish or In many ways, Karato is reminiscent of its more famous counterpart in Tokyo: Tsukiji. The salty, piscine smell of the ocean lies heavy, for the market is at the doorstep of the Kanmon Straits that separates the islands of Honshu and Kyushu. Retailers are hawking their wares at discounted prices: sushi and sashimi at 50% off. The wholesalers have packed up and left for the day, leaving stacks of wooden crates in their wake. The floor is slick with scales and water. It’s late afternoon at the Karato fish market in the Japan’s far western port city of Shimonoseki.
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