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Do you want to experience a rare delicacy that, if not correctly prepared, will kill you? Be warned: it takes three years to make things right.To reduce poisonous toxicity, the ovaries of the Japanese pufferfish, known as fugu, are pickled in salt and bran in Hakusan's Mikawa area. It is far from a quick process.
But what does the "forbidden delicacy" taste like?
Pufferfish flesh, eaten raw as sashimi or in a hot pot, is a winter favorite for residents of Fukuoka and Yamaguchi prefectures in southern Japan. Restaurants provide not only cheap and tasty fugu, but also richly flavored testes known as "shirako."Even die-hard fans probably never envisioned devouring "mako" ovaries containing tetrodotoxin, a powerful deadly chemical. According to an old proverb, "eating fugu is excellent, but endangering your life is worse."
fugu overy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xD3wfp1LAA
Believe it or not, the meal is available in Mikawa restaurants as part of efforts to rebuild the local community.For 400 yen ($2.80), one such restaurant on the premises of JR Mikawa Station serves a "ochazuke" bowl topped with brown pickled fugu ovary on white rice.It has a strong salty fragrance and a delicious flavor. Like bubbles, fish eggs burst across the mouth cavity.The salty flavor is enhanced by lightly mixing the ingredients in the bowl. It is not unusual to observe diners devouring the food.
Takeo Koizumi, retired professor of cuisine culture at Tokyo University of Agriculture, characterized blowfish ovaries as "the most incredible fermented delicacy on our earth" in a book on fugu."By alone, it would be able to obtain World Heritage classification in the foodstuff category," Koizumi wrote.Only 21 companies in Ishikawa Prefecture have been granted license to produce pickled fugu ovary throughout Japan.Only six of them create the specialty as businesses, as fifteen are individuals. And five of the six companies are based in Mikawa, which was home to Motoyoshiminato port along the Kitamaebune route in the Sea of Japan during the Edo Period (1603-1867).
According to historical records, processed fugu ovary was exported from what is now Sado in Niigata Prefecture in 1858, indicating that the pickling practice had already begun in Mikawa at the time.Toshiaki Araki, 68, the seventh-generation president of Arayo&Co., one of the five corporate manufacturers started in 1830, explained how to prepare fugu ovary for human consumption.During their reproductive season in May and June, spottedback pufferfish are cut and trimmed.Recovered ovaries are washed in groundwater and salted. Over the course of a year, the size of the ovaries shrinks dramatically, reducing the toxic level to one-tenth of its previous level.Bran is then placed to the bottoms of Japanese cedar wood casks, and ovaries are pickled in them with a grain-based seasoning called "koji." Over the course of two years, a sardine sauce is occasionally added.When the outside of the barrels turns pinkish, it means the contents are ready for consumption.
When asked if he knew what causes the poison to dissipate, a beaming Araki replied, "that has yet to be determined."Salt is thought to aid in the removal of harmful chemicals, while probiotic bacteria break down any leftover toxin. This, however, has not been scientifically confirmed."The recipe for the delicacy has been passed down orally." "What matters is the artisans' craftsmanship," Araki added. "As a result, existing production methods cannot be altered."Mikawa's forefathers struggled and sacrificed their lives in their desperate attempt to make fugu ovaries palatable. The local delicacy bears witness to their bravery, curiosity, and perseverance.According to health ministry data, 321 people became unwell in the United Kingdom over the last 15 years after swallowing pufferfish toxin. Eleven of them were killed.
However, no such incidents have been reported in regard to pickled fugu ovary. Araki expressed his hope that the traditional dish will reach a larger audience through passing down the area's tried and proved workmanship."Fugu ovaries have the potential to become much more sought-after as a cuisine," he says. "By competing and collaborating with other producers, we want to create more easily digestible products in the future." I want people to understand its allure and history."
