This Chinese Delicacy Can Also Kill You
- 12 years ago
This Chinese Delicacy Can Also Kill You - as part of the travel series by GeoBeats.
China has an amazingly diverse cuisine with its history dating back thousands of years. Part of its appeal lies in the incredible variety of ingredients which in some cases can literally be deadly.
Take for instance, the Puffer fish, considered a delicacy in China. It also happens to be one of the most poisonous vertebrates on this planet. They contain tetrodotoxin which according to National Geographic can be 1,200 times more poisonous than cyanide. The amount of toxin in each puffer fish can kill 30 humans and oh by the way, no antidote is known. So not surprisingly, puffer fish has caught the attention of adventure foodies.
Called fugu in Asia, it is served in parts of China as well as Japan and Korea. Even though, only licensed chefs who know how to remove the toxin can serve a puffer fish, there are plenty of unauthorized/hidden places where you can consume it.
And regardless of the circumstances, you are always at risk. The China Daily details a recent incident in which a diner in Jiangsu province experienced dizzyness and numbness in legs right after eating a puffer fish and only a mouth-to-mouth resuscitation from a fellow diner saved his life.
While the exact numbers unknown, hundreds of people worldwide are said to die each year from puffer fish poisoning. Probably the biggest risk-takers are the chefs who are required to taste them before serving to diners.
China has an amazingly diverse cuisine with its history dating back thousands of years. Part of its appeal lies in the incredible variety of ingredients which in some cases can literally be deadly.
Take for instance, the Puffer fish, considered a delicacy in China. It also happens to be one of the most poisonous vertebrates on this planet. They contain tetrodotoxin which according to National Geographic can be 1,200 times more poisonous than cyanide. The amount of toxin in each puffer fish can kill 30 humans and oh by the way, no antidote is known. So not surprisingly, puffer fish has caught the attention of adventure foodies.
Called fugu in Asia, it is served in parts of China as well as Japan and Korea. Even though, only licensed chefs who know how to remove the toxin can serve a puffer fish, there are plenty of unauthorized/hidden places where you can consume it.
And regardless of the circumstances, you are always at risk. The China Daily details a recent incident in which a diner in Jiangsu province experienced dizzyness and numbness in legs right after eating a puffer fish and only a mouth-to-mouth resuscitation from a fellow diner saved his life.
While the exact numbers unknown, hundreds of people worldwide are said to die each year from puffer fish poisoning. Probably the biggest risk-takers are the chefs who are required to taste them before serving to diners.