Why Is Fugu So Dangerous?

The American Food & Drug administration warns that pufferfish can contain highly potent and deadly toxins that are much more lethal than cyanide, causing severe illness and death.

The fish's liver, gonads (ovaries and testes), intestines and skin can contain the toxin, which is known to be so powerful, the amount in its liver alone has been reported to be enough to kill five men.

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The BBC notes that the toxin "tetrodotoxin affects the nerve system and the poisoning has been described as 'rapid and violent', leading to first a numbness around the mouth, then paralysis and eventually death,".

There is also no known antidote to counteract the toxin.

Chefs have to take a 3-year apprenticeship before taking a special examination administered by the Japanese government to handle fugu fish legally at their restaurants, which according to The Guardian, has only a 35 per cent passing rate.

Why Eat Fugu?

Pufferfish is typically eaten during winter sliced raw à la sashimi or cooked in a hot pot and is loved for its sweet flavour and flaky texture.

Having tried grilled fugu myself, with the meat served containing an unharmful amount of the fish's poison for a slight numbing sensation, I have to say that the fish itself was quite tasty. 

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Cooked fugu is very tender and succulent, while when served in the style of sashimi, can provide a tougher chew than most fishes. The taste however, is rather distinctive and unique that makes it worth a try.

If you would like to try fugu yourself, make sure you eat it at a restaurant with a licensed and reputable chef. Last year, the health ministry made plans to make it illegal to sell pufferfish in Malaysia, so would-be diners will have try it someplace else.