Blowfish Testicles? Barf!

Published on Wednesday, January 28, 2009, by James Norton / Edit Post

The AP reports:

“Blowfish testicles prepared by an unauthorized chef sickened seven diners in northern Japan and three remained hospitalized Tuesday after eating the poisonous delicacy.”

The chef-owner of the restaurant that served the sassy balls had no license to serve blowfish; that’s a serious infraction when you consider that improperly prepared fugu killed three people in Japan in 2007 and sickened 44 others.

As to why the grilled, potentially deadly blowfish testicles were something that a group of otherwise rational people might want to pay good money to eat, the article was mum.

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POST A COMMENT |5 Comments

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  • Oh booo hoo hoo I'm a white person and I think food that other cultures enjoy is gross and weird. Blah blah blah.

  • I think that eating fugu is foolish. And barfing isn't the problem...it's a nerve poison, and a deadly one at that. And this poison is contained in ALL parts of the blowfish, not just the internal organs. Chefs that prepare this potentially deadly dish must undergo both long training and licensing, and even then, sometimes people die. Sound delicious?

    The prior poster is correct in one aspect...+READ

    I think that eating fugu is foolish. And barfing isn't the problem...it's a nerve poison, and a deadly one at that. And this poison is contained in ALL parts of the blowfish, not just the internal organs. Chefs that prepare this potentially deadly dish must undergo both long training and licensing, and even then, sometimes people die. Sound delicious?

    The prior poster is correct in one aspect tho...the chef tries to leave just enough poison in his dish to create a slight tingling sensation in the lips and tongue. You must have a jaded appetite indeed to seek this delicacy, and be willing to pay not only top dollar but sometimes the ultimate price...

    As an amusing aside...I once was researching fugu in the Oakland Asian Library to compare it with another deadly foodstuff that is made edible through elaborate preparation: the wild mushroom Gyromitra esculenta, or as i call it, "Fugu of the Forest." When I asked the local Japanese librarian where I might find a book on preparing fugu, her eyes grew wide. "Very dangerous!" she gasped. I assured her that I wasn't interested in a "how-to" cookbook, but I think that she was a little nervous about my intentions anyway. But as a serious mushroomer in this fungiphobic cluture of ours, I'm used to it.

    Bon apetit!

    Amanitarita-COLLAPSE

  • http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/5371500.stm
    This is a story about a "penis emporium" in Beijing.

  • It is considered a great delicacy in Japan. The flesh, which I've had once, has a rather clean neutral taste as I recall--you eat it as sashimi. The reason, as I understand it, to eat the internal organs, which contain the poison, is two fold--it's macho, and if you eat the tiniest smidgen of poison there's a numbing sensation that's valued, one guesses, for the thrill of danger. Licensed fugu...+READ

    It is considered a great delicacy in Japan. The flesh, which I've had once, has a rather clean neutral taste as I recall--you eat it as sashimi. The reason, as I understand it, to eat the internal organs, which contain the poison, is two fold--it's macho, and if you eat the tiniest smidgen of poison there's a numbing sensation that's valued, one guesses, for the thrill of danger. Licensed fugu chefs are trained to prepare the fish without the poison.-COLLAPSE

  • I hope everyone recovers and will be just fine. HOWEVER, why would anyone want to eat blowfish anything especially its balls? The red flag for my culinary curiosity would have been the license part, that is if the body part did not turn me off.