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is the Japanese word for pufferfish and the dish prepared from it, normally species of genus ''Takifugu'', ''Lagocephalus'', or ''Sphoeroides'', or porcupinefish of the genus ''Diodon''. Fugu can be lethally poisonous due to its tetrodotoxin; therefore, it must be carefully prepared to remove toxic parts and to avoid contaminating the meat. The restaurant preparation of fugu is strictly controlled by law in Japan and several other countries, and only chefs who have qualified after three or more years of rigorous training are allowed to prepare the fish.〔 Domestic preparation occasionally leads to accidental death.〔 Fugu is served as sashimi and chirinabe.〔 Some consider the liver the tastiest part, but it is also the most poisonous, and serving this organ in restaurants was banned in Japan in 1984.〔 Fugu has become one of the most celebrated and notorious dishes in Japanese cuisine. ==Toxicity== Fugu contains lethal amounts of the poison tetrodotoxin in its organs, especially the liver, the ovaries, and the eyes, whereas skin is usually non-poisonous. The poison, a sodium channel blocker, paralyzes the muscles while the victim stays fully conscious (thus making the effects somewhat similar to those of the nerve agents Sarin and VX). The victim is unable to breathe, and eventually dies from asphyxiation. Fugu poison is 1200 times stronger than cyanide and there is no known antidote. The standard treatment is to support the respiratory and circulatory systems until the poison is metabolized and excreted by the victim's body. Advances in research and aquaculture have allowed some farmers to mass-produce safe fugu. Researchers surmised that fugu's tetrodotoxin came from eating other animals that held tetrodotoxin-laden bacteria, and that the fish develops immunity over time. Many farmers now produce 'poison-free' fugu by keeping the fugu away from the bacteria. Usuki, a town in Ōita Prefecture, has become known for selling non-poisonous fugu. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア(Wikipedia)』 ■ウィキペディアで「fugu」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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