Fugu (nonfiction)

The fugu (河豚; 鰒; フグ) in Japanese, bogeo (복어) or bok (복) in Korean, and hétún (河豚; 河鲀) in Standard Modern Chinese is a pufferfish, normally of the genus Takifugu, Lagocephalus, or Sphoeroides, or a porcupinefish of the genus Diodon, or a dish prepared from these fish.

Fugu can be lethally poisonous due to its tetrodotoxin; therefore, it must be carefully prepared to remove toxic parts and to avoid contaminating the meat.

The restaurant preparation of fugu is strictly controlled by law in Japan and several other countries, and only chefs who have qualified after three or more years of rigorous training are allowed to prepare the fish. Domestic preparation occasionally leads to accidental death.

Fugu is served as sashimi and chirinabe.

Some consider the liver to be the tastiest part, but it is also the most poisonous, and serving this organ in restaurants was banned in Japan in 1984.

Fugu has become one of the most celebrated and notorious dishes in Japanese cuisine.

Fiction cross-reference

• Fugu squash - a genetically engineered hybrid of the fugu fish and any of various types of squash.

Nonfiction cross-reference

• Fugu @ Wikipedia