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It was always my understanding that the appeal of well-prepared pufferfish was that it would still contain minute amounts of toxin to create a prickly/numbing f
by ginko 8y ago
It was always my understanding that the appeal of well-prepared pufferfish was that it would still contain minute amounts of toxin to create a prickly/numbing feeling in the mouth.
- dnautics 8y agoIt's also an intoxicant. Or at least, I definitely felt drunk after eating it.
- aplc0r 8y agoI've had jellyfish in Taiwan and Japan, and it had a similar numbing effect. It didn't taste like much, but the numbing was novel enough for me to want to eat more.
- mallomarmeasle 8y agoAre you sure that it was not prepared with Szechuan peppercorns? It certainly is numbing, and I've never experienced that from jellyfish.
- sparkie 8y agoThe toxin is in tiny concentrations of the fish's muscle which is normally eaten. The parts that can't be eaten are mainly the liver and ovaries, where the toxin is most concentrated. Interestingly, there are traditional fermentation processes by which the toxin level in the liver and ovaries can be reduced to similar levels to the normal edible parts over a couple of years, which have managed to survive despite prohibition of fugu in Japan during the Edo period.
- Sharlin 8y agoIt was always my understanding that eating pufferfish is pretty much 100% a status thing. Earning bragging rights by either having taken the risk, or having dined in a place exclusive enough to have a very distinguished chef preparing the fish. Or, of course, being able to offer one's guests a plate prepared by such a distinguished chef.