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Foucauldian fish. Poisonous fugu fish - a dangerous delicacy

Fugu fish has many other names. The most famous of them is the ball fish. It is also called dogfish, pufferfish and diodont. Fugu is found mainly in the seas of Yamaguchi Prefecture.

The dish made from this fish is rightfully considered the most dangerous, since certain parts of the fugu body contain a nerve-paralytic poison - tetrodotoxin. Ballfish venom is 25 times stronger than curare and 275 times more toxic than cyanide. Just 1 ml tetrodoto

It should be noted that in addition to poison, pufferfish also contains very useful medicinal elements, and, above all, the analgesic tetradoxine.

Cooking fugu is trusted only to the best chefs who have undergone special training and have a special license. When obtaining a license, a chef must pass an exam - not only must he cook fugu different ways, and but also to eat everything cooked. By the way, it is believed that the cook who prepared the fugu must make himself hara-kiri if the client is poisoned.

Cutting a ball fish requires filigree precision and dexterity. With quick blows, the fins and head are separated and the belly of the fish is opened. The poisonous entrails are then carefully removed. The fish fillet is cut into thin pieces, no thicker than a paper sheet, and washed thoroughly under running water.

Fugu dishes are very varied. Meat, skin, liver, fins, caviar and fish milt are used in preparation.

Pieces of ball fish are served in a certain sequence - starting from the back, in order of approaching the peritoneum. The closer the piece is to the peritoneum, the more poisonous it is. The chef's responsibility, in addition to preparing the fish, is to determine a safe dose for each guest. Skilled chefs leave just enough poison to make guests experience a state of mild drug-induced euphoria. In this state, all parts of the body are first paralyzed; only the eyes retain the ability to move. And a moment later everything comes to life again. For the sake of these sensations, people take mortal risks.

One of the most popular dishes is Fugusashi (fugu sashimi). From slices of raw fugu, pictures are laid out on a plate - butterflies, birds, landscapes. The fish is eaten by dipping it in a mixture of vinegar sauce, finely chopped onion, grated daikon radish and red pepper.

THE MOST IMPORTANT

Processing fish before cooking is a rather complex process. The main skill is to quickly cut fish without damaging it internal organs, in which the poison is concentrated. Then the fish meat is washed with running water and beautifully served on a platter. Prices for fugu fish dishes range from $100 to $400. Today in any big city Japan you can find a large number of restaurants offering to taste “deadly” delicacies. Despite the statistics of victims from eating this mysterious fish, when purchasing a dish in an expensive, well-established restaurant, the risk of poisoning is minimal. But he still exists! Maybe this is what makes puffer fish so popular. A special skill among chefs is the ability to leave a very small amount of poison in the fish, which can cause mild narcotic intoxication.

Poisoning

If we talk about poisoning, then according to statistics, about 50 Japanese die every year from eating fugu, although it is correct to say from the inability to properly cook this fish. Mostly, the victims are fishermen who try to cook fish at home that accidentally fell into their nets, or overly rich, self-confident people who, for an additional fee, persuade cooks to cook for them the most tender part of the fish - fugu liver. The maximum concentration of poison is concentrated in the liver and by eating the liver, you are already at a very serious risk.

Puffer fish is considered one of the most poisonous fish on the planet. More than a dozen people are trying to try it. In search of thrills, many are ready to shell out a tidy sum. So why is this little fish dangerous? This small fish called fugu contains a deadly poison called tetrodotoxin. This poison is capable of blocking nerve endings causing respiratory paralysis, convulsions, and complete immobility. A person whose body has exceeded the level of fugu poison looks very unsightly. Blue lips, foam at the mouth in the eyes, fear of imminent death and cannot move; in general, the picture is not the best. And the worst thing is that there is no antidote. In such cases, the unfortunate can only be saved if he is put on artificial ventilation and forced blood circulation. Keep the little man in this position until the poison stops working. But despite this not a joyful prospect, there is more than enough to be on the verge of death.

The poison is found in almost all fish, from the skin to the bones. In order to properly prepare such a delicacy, chefs go through a special school and must annually confirm their knowledge for the right to cook puffer fish. If you know how to cook this correctly dangerous dish, then you will always, or rather never, be left without work.

So what do they eat there if all the fish are practically poisonous? Yes, the fish is undoubtedly poisonous, but
There are some parts in which the concentration of poison is not high. Basically, the largest amount of poison is contained in the liver, caviar and skin of this fish. Everything else can be eaten. In ancient times, there was a tradition in Japanese restaurants: if a visitor died from improperly prepared Fugu fish, then the cook was obliged to also eat the same dish, or commit ritual suicide. Such are the morals. But now that we live in a civilized society, cooks don't commit suicide or eat poisoned fish. Since 1958, every willing chef has undergone mandatory licensing for the right to cook puffer fish.

A complete ban on fugu fishing has been introduced

Due to the increasing number of cases of poisoning in Japan, a ban on fugu fishing was introduced in 2002. But even today it can be easily found on the shelves of fish markets, as well as on the menus of large restaurants in major cities in Japan.

Maybe I’ll make a colossal discovery for you now, or maybe you’ve already guessed it yourself. There is no fugu fish in the world's oceans, it's just the name of a dish. And it is prepared from this small fish called Skalozub or Pufferfish. This fish lives in the waters of the Pacific and Indian Oceans, V coastal zone. To prepare Fugu, they most often take a brown rocktooth. But this is not the only representative of this species; there are about 120 such species.

Sometimes the rocktooth is called a dogfish. Over the years, this small fish, and it is really small, judge for yourself, the maximum length of this fish was recorded as only 60 cm, but mostly fishermen catch fish no larger than 35-40 cm. So, over the years, it has learned to live not only in sea water. More and more often it began to be found in desalinated reservoirs and rivers. And not long ago it became known that scientists have learned to artificially grow this fish. And fish grown in an artificial environment does not contain poison, but remains as tasty as before. sea fish grew up in natural environment a habitat. The pufferfish accumulates all the poison over the years, eating poisonous food, these are starfish, mollusks and small invertebrates.

Before cooking fugu, the cook must know for whom he is preparing the dish.

Before serving a dish of this fish to your table, the cook must first get acquainted with the client in order to take into account your complexion, nationality and your state of health, the cook takes all this information into account when preparing a dish called puffer fish. Typically, this dish consists of a series of dishes where the fish is prepared in different ways, it is served fried, salted, in the form of soups, or served with a special sauce. Sometimes professional chefs take a small risk and leave a small amount of poison in the dish. But not too much, from a small dose your lips begin to tingle and this makes the adrenaline rise to the limit.

Fugu fish is a very poisonous dish

During 2004-2007, 15 deaths were recorded on the planet. And 115 people were hospitalized. In 2009, in the city of Tsuruoki (Japan) alone, 7 people were fatally poisoned.

Fugu fish photo

If after everything you’ve read, you still have the desire to try puffer fish. I hasten to warn you that the chef will not cook for every client. real fish fugu. You need to be prepared for this dish both mentally and physically. And this dish costs a lot of money. Be prepared to spend a lot of money before trying puffer fish. As the classic said, this is a dish for real lovers of truly thrilling sensations. And don’t try to prepare such a dish for yourself after reading recipes on the Internet, remember that today humanity has not yet been able to develop an antidote, and you are unlikely to have time to take it, since the lethal dose of poison is so small and the reaction is so fleeting that there is no time to You don't have the option to call an ambulance.

“He who eats puffer fish is a fool, and he who does not eat it is an even greater fool.” This Japanese one folk proverb literally describes the attitude of the indigenous people towards their deadly delicacy. And foreigners visiting Japan are willing to pay crazy amounts of money to experience the dangerous balancing act between life and death. They say that once you try this fateful dish, you become attached to it forever. Thrill-seekers are not deterred even by the fact that every year about fifteen people die from eating this fish. To experience the narcotic effect of fugu, you need to shell out about $1,000 in a specialized restaurant in Japan, where you will 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 the brown rocktooth. You can often hear such names as: dog fish, pufferfish, fahak, diodont. This is a relatively small fish of the pufferfish family. The length of its body can reach 80 cm, but usually it is about 45 cm. This fish does not have scales as such. Instead, fugu has a thin, light skin, which has the ability to stretch. This structure is not accidental - this is how the rock tooth protects itself from predators. The thing is that in moments of mortal danger, the fish absorbs a decent amount and swells, forming a ball completely studded with sharp spines. If suddenly some shark dares to dine on this fish, the swollen, prickly ball will easily get stuck in the throat, and the ill-fated predator will die.

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

Interestingly, the fugu fish itself is not initially poisonous. Dangerous poison begins to accumulate in it during life. It gets into the rocktooth along with food, which is various organisms containing small amounts of tetrodotoxin. Once in the body of a puffer fish, it settles in the liver and ovaries and, with the help of the bloodstream, transfers it to the eggs, intestines and skin, making it one of the most poisonous fish on the planet. This powerful neurotoxin has harmful effects even in small quantities. For a person to die, only one milligram of tetrodotoxin will be enough. Each fugu fish contains enough neurotoxin to kill dozens of people.

Habitat and reproduction

This fish loves the 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. The fry can also be seen at the mouths of brackish rivers, and as they mature, they move further from the coasts into the open seas. Puffer spawns in the spring, attaching eggs to rocks in quiet places at a shallow depth of about 20 meters. Skalozub is a shallow-water fish; it loves small sea bays and calm waters.

A little history

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

This fish has been known for quite a long time. Mention of her is 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. Somewhere at the same time, Eastern sages wrote in their chronicles about its terrible poison. The very first Chinese medical book, “The Book of Herbs,” written around the third millennium BC, also contains information about puffer fish.

In Japan it has been known and appreciated for a very long time, but in Europe it became known in the 17th century, thanks to trade relations with eastern countries. The Dutch physician Engelbert Campher, while in Japan at the end of the 17th century, mentioned that some fish, when consumed, melt in themselves lethal dose poison, but this does not stop the Japanese from eating it, throwing out the entrails and thoroughly washing the meat. He also talked about what kind of eating this fish is like. Japanese warriors severe sanctions were imposed. And if one of the warriors died from fugu poisoning, then his son lost all the rights and privileges of his father entitled to him by law.

The famous captain James Cook also suffered from this fish. During his trip around the world, he landed on one of the islands, where one of the crew members exchanged 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. This took quite a long time, so the captain and the guests barely touched the food they served. They were incredibly lucky, since they served the liver and caviar of puffer fish, which contain a colossal amount of tetrodotoxin. They escaped with a slight fright: weakness, loss of consciousness, slight numbness of the limbs. But one of the crew members who ate the entrails 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 if a cook prepared a dish that poisoned a visitor, he was obliged to eat it himself or commit ritual suicide - the so-called seppuku or hara-kiri.

Composition and beneficial properties

In my own way chemical composition fugu is practically no different from other representatives of this class. It contains a wonderful vitamin and mineral complex. Her energy value is approximately 108 kcal. It contains light for the body - 16.4 grams, and about 2 grams.

The neurotoxin contained in it in huge quantities is used in medicine to prevent certain diseases and have a long-term analgesic effect.

Despite the deadly poison in its composition, this fish is in great demand for culinary purposes. Those who like to “tickle their nerves” shell out considerable sums to try this unsafe dish.

IN this moment There is an artificially bred species of fugu that does not contain a dangerous toxin. But she is not at all popular. The most valuable things about it are the thrill, the emotional outburst and the huge surge of adrenaline that accompany eating fugu. Some even consider eating such fish a kind of Russian roulette.

Use in cooking

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

Cutting fugu is a delicate and jewelry art that only a few master. To do this, you need to cut off the fins with quick and precise blows, separate the mouthparts and use a sharp knife “want” to open the belly of the puffer. Then, carefully so as not to tear, remove the poisonous entrails and dispose of them. After filleting the fish, cut into thin transparent slices and rinse thoroughly under running water to get rid of traces of blood and poison.

A set lunch in such a restaurant consists of several dishes. As a cold appetizer, fugusashi is served - a unique dish of the thinnest mother-of-pearl slices of fugu, laid out in the form of intricate patterns: butterflies, birds, and so on. They are eaten by dipping in ponzu (a specially prepared sauce with vinegar), momiji-oroshi (grated Japanese daikon radish) or asatsuki (finely chopped chives). After this, the first dish is brought - fugu zosui. This is a soup made from boiled fugu and the addition of raw egg. The second course consists of fried pufferfish.

Serving fugu fish dishes also has its own sacred ritual. So, for example, the less poisonous back pieces are served first, moving closer and closer to the most poisonous part of the fish - the belly. The cook must monitor the guests, assessing their condition from a medical point of view in order to stop possible consequences and not allow them to eat more than the prescribed amount.

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

And a drink is made from the fins of the pufferfish, after which all the senses are heightened, a hallucinogenic effect and mild intoxication are manifested. To do this, the charred fins of the puffer are lowered into water for a minute. Visitors are required to drink this drink before eating deadly fish dishes.

Application in medicine

Several centuries ago in the East, powdered fugu was mixed with other animal ingredients and taken as a pain reliever. The patients soon recovered, their vigor and high spirits were noted.

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

leprosy;
mental disorders;
heart failure;
cough;
headache.

In very small doses, fugu venom was used to prevent age-related diseases, to treat the prostate gland, arthritis, rheumatism, neuralgic pain, and also as an anesthetic for inoperable forms. oncological diseases. The standards for the neurotoxin were clearly established, at which its toxic properties were practically absent, and its medicinal qualities came to the fore.

Currently in medical purposes Tetrodotoxin is practically not used due to its extreme toxicity. It is much safer to use novocaine, which has similar properties, or other anesthetic drugs for such purposes. Tetrodotoxin has recently been tested in a laboratory as a pain-relieving drug for cancer patients, but the results have been controversial. Currently, research on tetrodotoxin in this area continues. Widely used to study cell membranes by biological scientists.

Dangerous properties of fugu fish

The most dangerous thing in this fish is considered to be a neuroparalytic toxin - tetrodotoxin, which can cause complete paralysis. respiratory system person, and as a result - death. It is physically capable of blocking membrane sodium channels, thereby preventing the propagation of nerve impulses. The most common way to poison puffer fish is by improperly preparing it. Even the most experienced 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 severe poisoning. Therefore, before you go towards the thrill, ask yourself: is it worth it?

Symptoms of poisoning and first aid

Symptoms of tetrodotoxin poisoning appear within the first 10-15 minutes after eating puffer fish. Their rapid manifestation indicates a large amount of poison in the body. The symptoms are very similar in terms of cardiological and neurological signs: numbness, dizziness, burning in the body, impaired coordination of movements and speech, hypotension, a sharp decrease in pulse and heaviness in breathing. In more severe forms - impaired consciousness, convulsions and death.

Four degrees of severity of poisoning can be distinguished:

First degree: numbness and tingling in the nasolabial area, nausea, vomiting.
Second degree: complete numbness of the muscles of the face, tongue, hands and feet, impaired coordination of movements and speech, partial early paralysis, normal response to muscle contractions.
Third degree: flaccid paralysis of the whole body, severe shortness of breath, aphonia, enlarged and dilated pupils, clarity of consciousness is preserved.
Fourth degree: acute respiratory failure, hypoxia, sharp decrease blood pressure, arrhythmia, slow heart rate, possible loss of consciousness.

There is currently no antidote for this terrible neurotoxin. First aid and treatment consist mainly of symptomatic and supportive therapy. For any degree of poisoning, victims must be hospitalized for artificial respiratory support and circulatory systems s until the peak of the poison's effect passes. Usually, dire consequences are unlikely after 24 hours of poisoning.

conclusions

Fugu is a deadly poisonous Japanese dish made from fish containing a dangerous neurotoxin. Eating such food takes the lives of dozens of people every year. In large cases, this of course happens due to improper preparation of the dish by unlicensed chefs. But even professionals make mistakes. There is no antidote for this toxin. Only quick resuscitation and connection to ventilators can save a person. Every spring, many thrill-seekers flock to restaurants that are licensed to produce fugu. But before you try this delicious delicacy, ask yourself: is the game worth the candle?

Some traditional Japanese fish dishes will no longer surprise anyone. Sashimi, rolls, and sushi have firmly taken root in the menu of domestic gourmets. The only threat they pose is overeating. But some oriental dishes are prepared from deadly dangerous fish. First of all, this concerns the brown rocktooth, better known as puffer fish or dogfish. It was the deadly dish that made the rock-toothed fish famous all over the world, but that’s not the only thing that makes them interesting.

The history of the puffer fish

Puffer fish is one of the oldest fish

The exact time when the highly toxic dish appeared on the menu is unknown, but it is at least 2,300 years old. This is the age of the oldest rock-toothed remains found during historical excavations in Japan. The first historical information dates back to the 17th-19th centuries, and they concern a complete ban on cooking fugu throughout the territory controlled by the Tokugawa shogunate.

The Japanese perceived the ban in their own way - instead of completely abandoning the product, they simply began to treat it more carefully. This is how methods for cutting and preparing rocktooth with minimal risks of poisoning were developed. The same technologies continue today. In the western regions of the country, the shogunate's control was least, and it was there that cooks were especially successful at preparing fugu.

During Meiji times, the ban became stricter, but was violated again. IN late XIX and at the beginning of the 20th centuries, only the emperor could not try the forbidden dish, while ordinary citizens secretly prepared it and persistently consumed it.

In 1958 the issue was finally settled. A compromise solution requires the chef to have a separate license to prepare fugu fish. Now, to obtain this permit, you need to study for several years special courses and pass the exam. The latter includes a theoretical and practical part: the cook identifies, prepares and eats the fugu himself. Only a third of applicants pass the test. The rest of the students, of course, are not left lying lifeless in the examination hall. It’s just that the commission is very, very strict and does not allow even a hint of error to pass through. Thanks to these precautions, you can order rocktooth dishes in Japanese restaurants with virtually no risk.

Appearance

The long lifespan of fish is explained by the fact that predators are rarely interested in it; it is dangerous for them

The brown rocktooth is a fish of the pufferfish family. Belongs to the ray-finned species, genus Takifugu (translated as “river pig”). The body is large, very thick in the anterior part, up to 50 cm long on average; there are individuals up to 80 cm or more. The back of the fish is narrow, the tail is small. The color of the body is brown, behind the fins on the sides there are black spots with white rims.

The teeth are fused, below and above they look like powerful incisors. There are almost no bones in the body, not even ribs.

Basic external sign All fugu have no scales. Instead, the skin is strewn with sharp spines. In a calm state, they are smoothed, and in a moment of danger they provide almost absolute protection from predators. When there is danger, the cavities in the stomach area are instantly filled with air or water, inflating the fish like balloon. It becomes three times larger. Sharp needles end up sticking out in all directions, and no one can swallow such a creature. If this happens, the predator will die very soon: the main thing is protective mechanism fugu remains poison.

Habitat

Fugu is a bottom-dwelling fish and is found at depths of up to 100 m in a subtropical climate. Low boreal Asian species. Main habitats:

Southeast Asia;
Pacific Northwest;
Far East (both ocean and river waters);
Sea of Okhotsk.

IN large quantities found in the Yellow, South China, and Japanese (mainly in the western part) seas. Lives in the waters of Lake Chad, in the Nile, Amazon, Congo, and Niger rivers.

In summer it can be found even in the Russian part of the Sea of Japan.

The common belief that fugu is an exclusively Japanese delicacy is not entirely true. It is also eaten in other countries: China, Thailand, Korea. In some regions, non-toxic rock tooth is bred, but most true admirers of the dish refuse this option. Often it is the thrill of danger that is more valuable when eating fugu than its taste.

The fish is non-migratory, adults often stay in bays, and fry - in the brackish waters of the river mouth. The older the individual, the further into the sea its habitat is. Before a storm, the puffer moves closer to the coast.

Duration and lifestyle

Puffer fish are still poorly understood, so there is not much information available regarding their lifestyle.

Attempts by scientists to better understand the lifestyle of the fugu were almost unsuccessful. Researchers have found that the rocktooth cannot swim at high speed - the aerodynamic features of the body do not allow it. But there is good maneuverability: they move both forward and backward, swim sideways, and turn quickly.

Despite its small eyes, the puffer sees well. It has an excellent sense of smell due to a large number of receptors located on the tentacles with nostrils under the eyes.

The average lifespan of a brown rocktooth in natural conditions- 10–12 years.

Nutrition

Fugu is a predator; its diet consists of the strangest and most unappetizing inhabitants of the underwater world. This sea worms, shellfish, starfish and urchins. Eats corals. A number of scientists claim that the exceptional toxicity of the rocktooth is a consequence of such nutrition. Until now, researchers cannot explain the phenomenon of the fugu itself not accepting the poison, given that toxins accumulate in huge quantities in the caviar, intestines, liver and other parts of the body. There is no poison in the fillet and skin.

Reproduction

In a fugu family, the more responsible parent is the father. During the spawning period, the male courts by circling around the female. With a special dance, he invites her to sink to the bottom. If the lady is also interested, the two of them swim along the bottom for some time until they pick up suitable stone. The female lays eggs on it, which the male immediately fertilizes.

Having laid eggs, the female swims away, leaving the male to protect the offspring. He stands on a stone and closes the masonry own body in order to avoid eating the offspring by numerous people who want it.

After the tadpoles appear, the father prepares a hole at the bottom, transfers the fry there and then remains to guard them. Only when the offspring begins to feed on their own does the male leave them, having fully fulfilled his parental duty.

The danger of puffer fish

Fugu is the most dangerous and expensive dish of Japanese cuisine

It is difficult to find a more dangerous and more expensive dish in all of Japanese cuisine. One fish costs about $300, and a set lunch with this component can cost $1000 or more.

Extreme toxicity is due to the huge amount of tetrodoxin in the tissues of fugu. Just one individual can cause fatal poisoning of 30 people.

Tetrodoxine is 400 times more toxic than strychnine, 160 thousand times more toxic than cocaine, and an order of magnitude more toxic than curare poison.

The first symptoms of poisoning appear within 10–15 minutes. The lips and tongue become numb, drooling appears, and coordination of movements is impaired. More than half of those poisoned die on the first day; 24 hours is considered to be a critical period. Diarrhea and vomiting may occur severe pain. A person dies from respiratory arrest due to paralysis of the muscles involved in the respiratory act.

Tetrodoxin is not a protein, it works by stopping the flow of nerve impulses. Blocks the passage of sodium ions through cell membranes, without interfering with the passage of potassium ions. This is a very specific interaction with cellular structures, thanks to which tetrodoxin can already be found as an excellent painkiller in Japanese pharmacies.

There is no antidote, but tragedy can be avoided. To do this, you should urgently facilitate breathing and blood circulation by connecting the victim to an artificial support apparatus.

You can die without eating the fish, but only by touching the poison-soaked insides with your bare hand.

It’s hard to complain about the high cost of fugu, given all the risks. Selling one of the top ten poisonous dishes world according to Time magazine low prices unacceptable. It is not the relative rarity of fugu, but the complexity of its preparation that is the main component of the cost.

To prepare rockfish, a licensed chef removes the liver, caviar and all the entrails. A certain amount of poison remains on the surface of the fillet - and there should be just enough of it for a person to feel signs of poisoning, but not die. Numbness of the palate, tongue, limbs, a feeling of slight euphoria is a sign of the cook’s special skill. This state is akin to a slight drug intoxication.

Aquarium tetraodons may be toxic, but their venom is non-lethal

Aquarium tetraodons are a whole range of both marine and freshwater needletails. The most desperate aquarists keep poisonous puffers, but non-toxic ball fish will decorate any aquarium. Home-raised fish will not be lethal, yet they can all be toxic.

To avoid poisoning of aquarium tetraodons, you should not feed them by hand, much less pick them up with your bare hands!

The fish are very beautiful and unusual, but caring for them is extremely difficult, as is the character of the ball fish itself. Having decided to breed such pets, you need to immediately think about their diet. It should contain snails with a hard shell for grinding down rapidly growing dental plates.

As with breeding other aquarium inhabitants, the main success factors will be:

container of the correct size;
healthy diet;
compatible neighbors.

Their lifespan in an aquarium is half as long as in natural conditions. Your pufferfish can live between 5 and 10 years. Average length an adult aquarium inhabitant is 15 cm.

Aquarium

Young fish can be kept in containers of about 50 liters; as the size of the fish increases, they need to be moved to an aquarium of 150 liters or more. If more than 5 adult individuals are kept at the same time, the volume should be increased. If there is one pair of adults and there are few fry, a 100-liter container will be enough. A large group of Tetraodon will feel comfortable in a 300 liter aquarium.

Water needs aeration and filtration. Fresh water is salted with table salt: 1 tbsp. l. for 20 liters of water. Young animals tolerate freshwater conditions well, but diseases may subsequently arise.

The bottom must be wide so that such large bottom-dwelling fish can swim freely. Tetraodons love shade; to create it, stones of different sizes are laid out on the sand, and the rest of the area is densely sown with aquatic plants.

Care and feeding

The comfortable water temperature range is 25–28 degrees.

mandatory aeration and filtration;
daily replacement of 1/10 of the water in the aquarium with fresh water;
separation of freshwater and marine tetraodons into different containers;
isolation of fry in a separate container.

Healthy food for adults:

bloodworms, worms;
shellfish and fry;
crustaceans with a hard shell;
tubifex;
coretras.

Minced beef, liver, and heart are also suitable for these predators. Tetraodons are not interested in green food, and dry food is contraindicated.

Diet for fry:

ciliates;
Daphnia;
Artemia nauplius;
Cyclops;
egg yolk.

Neighbours

The older the tetraodon is, the higher the risk that other aquarium inhabitants will seem quite appetizing to it. Therefore, the question of compatibility of these large predators You need to decide with your neighbors in advance. The ideal option would be a separate aquarium for pufferfish. If this is not possible, African or Malawian cichlids will be optimal neighbors. It is advisable to select neighbors of the same size and not to place fish with long fins and tails with tetraodons. In the latter case, there is a risk that adult predators will nibble on this luxury.

Reproduction in an aquarium

At the age of 1–3 years, fish are ready to reproduce. To do this, a pair of tetraodons or a male with several females are placed in a separate aquarium. The female differs from the male in having less bright spots and smaller size. The most successful spawning will be provided with dense vegetation; cryptocoryne and hornwort are most often used.

In the preparatory period, the water temperature must be increased, intensively fed with crustaceans and meat products. Courtship is clearly visible, it looks like a persistent pursuit of a male by a female and even biting if he is ignored for a long time. If the couple sank to the bottom, the female’s answer is positive, and together they will find thicker bushes for themselves. Within 1 minute, eggs are laid, sometimes remaining free floating. It is advisable to collect all the eggs and move them to another container, but with the same composition of water. Milky eggs must be removed immediately; they are not viable.

After 8–9 days, fry appear and need to be fed egg yolk within 2–3 days, after which you can transfer to normal diet for kids.

Despite unprecedented precautions in preparing fugu dishes, an average of 20 people die from it every year.

With the maximum concentration of poison in the liver of fugu, this is the product that the most desperate thrill-seekers eat. The most notorious death from paralysis after eating fugu liver occurred in 1975. The whole country was shocked by the death of the “national treasure”, the legendary Kabuki actor Mitsugoro Bando.

Two Russian tourists died after fugu soup in 2010.

In ancient times, there was an unofficial law: if a person in a restaurant died from a fugu dish, the cook must also commit suicide - seppuku.

In many countries, catching and selling fugu is strictly prohibited.

One of the first descriptions of puffer fish poisoning was made by James Cook, who was served an unfamiliar dish for dinner. Thanks to the fact that Cook himself and his comrades barely touched the delicacy, they remained alive, although they felt severe numbness and weakness.

The underwater world is full of amazing, little-studied inhabitants. Puffer fish is one of them. She has a unique appearance, features, complex character, and seems the least adapted to coexist with us.

This did not prevent man from consuming perhaps the most poisonous sea dweller for food and even breed at home. For lovers of secrets, unearthly beauty and to tickle their nerves, this fish will be a good company - as pet or exotic dish. In both cases, you need to be aware that this creature is the embodiment of danger, and take all precautions.

Fugu is a fish of the pufferfish family (Tetraodontidae) containing the poison tetrodotoxin. Our common name is “dog fish” or “ball fish”. Those who want to catch this fish will have to cast a fishing rod in the Atlantic, Indian or Pacific Ocean. Fugu prefers to stay around islands and coral reefs. The fish moves slowly in the water and can swim tail first if desired. When bumping into an unfamiliar object or in case of danger, it suddenly absorbs a large volume of water, and because of this it becomes 3 times larger, taking the shape of a ball.

Puffer fish is " business card» extreme Japanese cuisine. Many people consider this fish to be very poisonous, and they are indeed right, because the poison collected from one adult specimen of this fish can kill 40 people. Tetrodotoxin is a nerve poison that is 1200 times stronger potassium cyanide. The process of preparing fish for food comes down to a significant reduction in the poison content to an acceptable concentration. However, an effective antidote in case of poisoning still does not exist. The only chance for salvation is to artificially maintain the functioning of the respiratory and circulatory systems until the effect of the poison ceases; the main thing is to call resuscitation in time.

The Japanese have loved eating fugu fish since ancient times. To prepare fugu fish dishes, the cook must pass two exams (written and practical) and obtain a license. Back in 1598, Japan passed a law requiring all chefs who prepare fugu to obtain a state license to do so. The examinee must have a good understanding of dozens of species of fugu and be able to put into practice several methods of reducing the concentration of poison in fish. A license to cook fish can only be obtained after eating what the student was able to cook in the exam.

Processing fugu fish before cooking

Processing fish before cooking is a rather complex process. The main skill is to quickly cut the fish without damaging its internal organs, where the poison is concentrated. Then the fish meat is washed with running water and beautifully served on a platter. Prices for fugu fish dishes range from $100 to $400. Today, in any major city in Japan you can find a large number of restaurants offering to try “deadly” delicacies. Despite the statistics of victims from eating this mysterious fish, when purchasing a dish in an expensive, well-established restaurant, the risk of poisoning is minimal. But he still exists! Maybe this is what makes puffer fish so popular. A special skill among chefs is the ability to leave a very small amount of poison in the fish, which can cause mild narcotic intoxication.

Puffer fish without poison?

There is an opinion that if puffer fish are artificially grown, the accumulation of poison in its body can be avoided. This is achievable by changing the feeding regime. Research has confirmed that the accumulation of tetrodotoxin poison occurs as a result of fish living in their natural environment. However, Japanese traditions and commercial interests in this matter remain stronger today.

One Japanese proverb says: “he who eats fugu is a fool, but so is he who does not eat.” Dying from fugu poison is a beautiful and quite worthy death for a Japanese.

Apr 23, 2010 Marina

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