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Fugu eating tradition
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IN Japan, eating the honourable fugu (blowfish) is the ideal of gourmet dining — and the cooking version of Russian roulette.
The word fugu is a general name for fish of the family tetraodontidae, class osteichthyes, order tetraodontiformes, but it is also used more broadly to indicate other fish that can swell their bellies or have a solid square shape. It is also used more narrowly as the name of the genus fugu of the family tetraodontidae living only in waters surrounding Japan and the rivers emptying into them. Several species including the torafugu (fugu rubripes) are used for food.
While the fugu has long been praised in Japan as the most delicious of all fishes, it has also been feared, as improper preparation may cause fatal poisoning. Even in the Meiji period (1868-1912) the sale of fugu was prohibited in some districts. The poisonous parts, such as the ovary and the liver, have been identified and strict supervision has been exercised by health authorities.
At present, fugu dishes are enjoyed as delicacies, and lanterns made of torafugu skins, originally children's toys, are sold to tourists as folk art in Kanazawa, Shimonoseki, Moji, and other cities.
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