Puffer fish

A fool is one who eats puffer fish, and one who does not eat it is an even greater fool. This Japanese proverb literally describes the attitude of the natives to their deadly delicacy. And foreigners visiting Japan are willing to pay crazy money to experience the dangerous balancing act between life and death. They say that once you try this fatal dish, you become attached to it forever. Thrill-seekers are not even stopped by the fact that about fifteen people die every year from eating this fish. To feel the narcotic effect of fugu, you need to shell out about $ 1000 in a specialized restaurant in Japan, where you have to put your life in the hands of a professional chef.

a brief description of

In fact, fugu is the name of a traditional dish that is so valued in Japan. And the fish, which is now also called, is a brown puffer ^[1]. You can often hear such names as dog fish, pufferfish, fahak, diodont. This is a relatively small fish of the pufferfish family. ^{[2] [3]}. The length of her body can reach 80 cm, but usually it is 45 cm. This fish does not have scales as such. Instead, fugu has a thin, light skin that has the ability to stretch. Its structure is not accidental: in this way the puffer is protected from predators. The fact is that in moments of mortal danger, the fish sucks in a large amount of water and swells, forming a ball completely studded with sharp spikes. If suddenly the shark dares to dine with this fish, then the swollen prickly ball gets stuck in the throat, and the ill-fated predator dies.

But the worst thing about this fish is not the appearance. Her skin and internal organs contain a deadly poison – tetrodotoxin. This is a neuroparalytic poison that begins to act in the human body about 10 minutes after being hit. There is no antidote for this toxin and, unfortunately, in most cases of poisoning a person cannot be saved.

Interestingly, the puffer fish itself is not initially poisonous. Dangerous poison begins to accumulate in it in the process of life. ^[4]. It enters the puffer along with food, which is made up of various organisms containing small amounts of tetrodotoxin. Once in the body of puffer fish, it settles in the liver and ovaries and is transferred to the eggs, intestines and skin with the help of the bloodstream, making it one of the most poisonous fish on the planet. This powerful neurotoxin has a detrimental effect even in small amounts. For a fatal outcome, a person will only need one milligram of tetrodotoxin. Each puffer fish contains so much neurotoxin that it is enough to kill several dozen people.

Habitat and breeding

This fish loves coastal areas of the brackish waters of the Pacific Ocean. It is widespread in the Sea of ​​Okhotsk, in the waters of the Japan, East China and Yellow Seas. Adult fish are found at a depth of no more than 100 meters. Fry can also be seen in the mouths of brackish rivers, and as they grow older, they move further from the coast to the open seas. Fugu spawns in spring, attaching eggs to rocks in quiet places at shallow depths (about 20 meters). Puffer is a shallow-water fish, it loves small sea bays and calm waters.

A bit of history

In different countries, this fish is called differently: in England – spherical or balloon fish, in Spain – botet, in the Hawaiian Islands – maki-maki, and in Japan, the most famous to everyone is fugu.

This fish has been known for a long time. Mention of it was found in ancient Egypt: one of the drawings found on the tomb of the pharaoh of the Ti dynasty was very reminiscent of a fugue. At the same time, Eastern sages in their annals wrote about her terrible poison. It has on its pages information about puffer fish and the very first Chinese medical “Book of Herbs”, written around the third millennium BC.

In Japan, it has been known and appreciated for a very long time, but in Europe it became known in the XNUMXth century, thanks to trade relations with eastern countries. The Dutch doctor Engelbert Kaempfer, while in Japan at the end of the XNUMXth century, mentioned that some fish, when consumed, harbor a lethal dose of poison, but this does not prevent the Japanese from eating it, throwing out the insides and thoroughly washing the meat. He also talked about the fact that serious sanctions were imposed for the use of this fish by Japanese soldiers. If one of the warriors died from fugu poisoning, then his son lost all the rights and privileges of his father, assigned to him by law.

The famous captain James Cook also suffered from this fish. During his round-the-world trip, he moored to one of the islands, where one of the crew members bartered a strange unknown fish from a native. It was decided to cook it for dinner. By this time, two guests were invited to the ship, who were supposed to describe and sketch the find. It took quite a long time, so the captain and guests barely touched the served food. They were incredibly lucky, as they served just the liver and caviar of puffer fish, which contain a huge amount of tetrodotoxin. The sailors escaped with a slight fright: weakness, loss of consciousness, slight numbness of the limbs. But one of the crew members who ate the insides was not so lucky. In the morning he was found dead.

By the way, not so long ago in Japan there was an old unspoken law, the essence of which was that a cook who prepared a dish and poisoned a visitor was obliged to eat it himself or commit ritual suicide – the so-called seppuku or hara-kiri.

Composition and useful properties

In terms of its chemical composition, fugu practically does not differ from other representatives of this class. It contains a unique vitamin and mineral complex. Its energy value is approximately 108 kcal. It contains a protein that is easy for the body (16,4 grams) and about 2 grams of fat.

Neurotoxin, contained in her in huge quantities, is used in medicine to prevent certain diseases and a long-lasting analgesic effect.

Despite the deadly poison in its composition, this fish is in great demand in cooking. In order to try this unsafe dish, lovers of “tickle nerves” lay out considerable sums.

At the moment, there is an artificially bred type of fugu that does not contain a dangerous toxin, but it is not at all popular. The most valuable in it are precisely the thrill, emotional outburst and a huge release of adrenaline that accompany the use of fugu for food. Some even consider eating such fish a kind of Russian roulette.

Cooking application

In 1958, Japan passed a law stating that a cook who is going to work with fugu fish must have a special license. To get it, the applicant needs to pass two exams: theory and practice. A greater number of candidates are eliminated after the first stage. To successfully pass it, you need to know everything about the different varieties of pufferfish and remember all known methods of detoxification. To pass the second stage and obtain a license, the chef must eat the dish he has prepared.

Fugu cutting is a fine and jewelry art, which is mastered by a few ^[5]. To do this, you need to cut off the fins with quick and accurate blows, separate the oral apparatus and, with a sharp knife, open the belly of the puffer. Then carefully, so as not to tear, take out the poisonous insides and dispose of them. Then the fish fillet is cut into thin transparent slices and thoroughly washed under running water to get rid of traces of blood and poison.

A complex lunch in such a restaurant consists of several dishes. Fugusashi is served as a cold snack – a unique dish of the thinnest mother-of-pearl fugu slices, laid out in the form of intricate paintings: butterflies, birds, and so on. They are eaten dipped in ponzu (a specially prepared sauce made with vinegar), momiji oroshi (shredded Japanese daikon radish), or asatsuki (finely chopped chives). After that, the first dish is brought – fugu zosui. This is a soup made from boiled fugu and rice with the addition of a raw egg. The second course consists of fried pufferfish.

Fugu fish dishes also have their own sacred ritual. So, for example, at first less poisonous dorsal pieces are fed, approaching more and more to the most poisonous part of the fish – belly. The cook should monitor the guests, assessing their condition also from a medical point of view in order to stop possible consequences in time and not allow them to eat more than the prescribed norm.

The superiority and skill of the cook lies in leaving a small dose of poison in the fish, in which restaurant visitors experience something similar to drug intoxication, fall into a slight euphoria. Those who have tried this treat say that in the process of eating such a dish, a slight paralyzing effect is felt, which manifests itself in a slight numbness of the arms, legs and jaw. It lasts a few seconds, but during this time, a person experiences a storm of emotions, balancing on the edge of life and death. It is said that many who have experienced these feelings at least once are willing to risk their lives to repeat this moment. ^[6].

A drink is made from the fins of the pufferfish, after which all the senses are aggravated, a hallucinogenic effect and slight intoxication appear. To do this, the charred fugu fins are dipped in sake for a minute. Such a drink is mandatory offered to visitors to drink before eating dishes from deadly fish.

Application in medicine

Several centuries ago, fugu ground in powder in the East was mixed with other ingredients of animal origin and taken as an anesthetic. Patients soon went on the amendment, their vivacity and high spirits were noted.

Ancient healers in the old days often used the following recipe to treat patients: the poisonous insides of fugu were soaked for seven days in vinegar, then they were mixed with flour and honey. Small balls were rolled from this mixture. They were prescribed for diseases such as:

• leprosy;
• mental disorders;
• heart failure;
• cough;
• headache ^[7].

In very small doses, fugu poison was used to prevent age-related diseases, to treat the prostate gland, arthritis, rheumatism, neuralgic pain, and also as an anesthetic for inoperable forms of cancer. ^[8]. The norms of neurotoxin were clearly established, in which its toxic properties were practically absent, and its medicinal qualities came to the fore.

Currently, tetrodotoxin is practically not used for medical purposes due to its extreme toxicity. ^[9]. It is much safer to use novocaine or other anesthetic drugs similar in properties for such purposes. Recently there have been laboratory trials of tetrodotoxin as an analgesic drug for cancer patients, but they have shown controversial results. At the moment, research on tetrodotoxin in this area is ongoing. ^[10]. It is widely used for the study of cell membranes by biological scientists.

Dangerous properties of puffer fish

The most dangerous in this fish is considered to be a neuroparalytic toxin – tetrodotoxin, which can cause complete paralysis of the human respiratory system, and as a result, death. ^[11]. It is able to block the sodium channels of the membranes, thereby preventing the spread of nerve impulses. The most common way puffer fish is poisoned is by improper preparation. Even the most experienced and professional chefs are not immune from mistakes, so every year in Japan about fifteen people die from eating fugu, and more than 50 end up in the hospital with a severe form of poisoning. Before you set out on a thrill ride, ask yourself if it’s worth it. ^[12]?

Symptoms of poisoning and first aid

Symptoms of tetrodotoxin poisoning occur in the first 10-15 minutes after eating a puffer fish. Their soon manifestation indicates a large amount of poison in the body. The symptoms are very similar in symptoms to cardiac and neurological: numbness, dizziness, burning sensation in the body, incoordination of movements and speech, hypotension, a sharp decrease in pulse and difficulty in breathing. In more severe forms – impaired consciousness, convulsions and death.

There are four severity of poisoning:

1. First degree: numbness and tingling in the nasolabial region, nausea, vomiting.
2. Second degree: complete numbness of the muscles of the face, tongue, hands and feet, impaired coordination of movements and speech, partial early paralysis, the reaction to muscle contractions is normal.
3. The third degree: flaccid paralysis of the whole body, severe shortness of breath, aphonia, pupil growth and dilation, clarity of consciousness remains.
4. Fourth degree: acute respiratory failure, hypoxia, a sharp decrease in blood pressure, arrhythmia, slowing of the pulse rate, loss of consciousness is possible ^[13].

There is currently no antidote to this terrible neurotoxin. First aid and treatment consist mainly of symptomatic and supportive therapy. With any degree of poisoning, the victims must be hospitalized to artificially maintain the respiratory organs and circulatory system, until the peak of the poison is passed. Usually, terrible consequences are unlikely after 24 hours after poisoning.

Conclusions

Fugu is a deadly poisonous Japanese food made from fish that contains a dangerous neurotoxin. The use of such food every year takes the lives of dozens of people. In most cases, this happens due to improper preparation of the dish by unlicensed chefs. But there are mistakes and professionals. There is no antidote for this toxin. Only quick resuscitation and connection to artificial lung ventilation devices can save a person. Every spring, many thrill-seekers visit restaurants that are licensed to make fugu. Before tasting this exquisite delicacy, ask yourself, is the game worth the candle?

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