The national culture of Japan was formed in isolation from the rest of the world. Therefore, it is difficult for a European resident to understand the special reverent attitude of the Japanese to the national fish dish, which can only be prepared by a cook who has undergone special training.
Features of the national Japanese cuisine
The formation of the national cuisine of Japan was influenced by the country's geographical location and natural features. Japan is a small, densely populated country, where there is no opportunity to allocate large areas for agricultural land, there are even fewer opportunities for the development of animal husbandry. These factors led to the predominance of seafood in the main diet of the Japanese.
Who cannot appreciate the taste of fugu, he is not able to admire Fujiyama
Everyone has heard about puffer fish. But you can try it only in Japan, and only in special restaurants.
The puffer fish belongs to the Tetraodontidae family and is considered one of the most venomous fish on Earth. The poison tetrodotoxin is found in the liver, caviar, milk, skin and in the gallbladder, which should not be eaten.
The first signs of poisoning are itching and burning of the oral mucosa, vomiting, diarrhea, severe pain in the stomach. Symptoms begin to appear 10-15 minutes after poisoning. If you do not provide emergency medical care, numbness of the skin begins, swallowing becomes difficult, and the voice sits down. Death occurs as a result of paralysis of the respiratory muscles; there is no antidote.
Despite the fact that every year up to 50 people are poisoned by puffer fish, more than half of whom do not survive, it remains a favorite product of the Japanese and one of the main baits of foreign tourists.
How to eat fugu and not get poisoned
Fugu poisoning occurs exclusively at home, when trying to cook it yourself. Restaurant diners are protected from such problems.
Only cooks who have undergone special training and received a license have the right to cook fugu. The skill of the cook lies not so much in the art of cooking as in the ability to cut and cook fish in such a way as to completely neutralize the poison.
A special delicacy of preparation is considered to be a small concentration of poison left on purpose during processing. A fugu dish with a dose of poison evokes a sensation close to a mild narcotic intoxication.
Fugu acquires poisonous properties in the process of feeding, that is, in itself, it is not poisonous. Artificial cultivation of puffer with regulation of the diet completely deprives it of its toxic properties. The possibility of artificial breeding of non-poisonous fugu does not at all please the Japanese, since a whole layer of their culture is connected with poisonous fish, as well as the income of a large sector of the food industry in Japan.
