are pufferfish edible?

Answer 1

Parts of the fish are highly toxic, but if prepared with enough caution, the remaining parts are considered a delicacy in some places (it's called 'fugu' in Japan). Even the non-toxic parts are not COMPLETELY non-toxic, so it's not uncommon when eating fugu to feel a tingling or numbness in your lips and mouth. Like bungee-jumping, flirting with danger is considered part of the fun!

Answer 2

yes but if they are cut the wrong way you will die.



Dear Yahoo!:
Why is eating puffer fish so dangerous?
Kuffer
Portsmouth, New Hampshire

Dear Kuffer:
There are over 120 different species of this peculiar fish, best known for its ability to turn itself into a big, spiny ball when threatened. If cleaned and properly prepared, puffer fish, or blowfish as it is also know, can be safely eaten and is even considered a delicacy in Japan.
However, beware before ordering a plate of puffer. The liver, gonads, intestines, and skin of some species contain a neurotoxin called tetrodotoxin, a poison also found in the California newt and the eastern salamander and that can cause death if ingested.

In Japan, where a meal of puffer, or fugu, can run you a pretty penny, chefs are required to undergo an exam and acquire a special license to prepare the dish. During the exam, which has only a 25% pass rate, the chef must prepare and then eat a meal of puffer fish. Despite these precautions, some 100-200 people suffer from tetrodotoxin poisoning every year. Approximately half of these cases result in death.

Only small portions of contaminate fish need to be consumed for poisoning to occur, and the effects are felt within minutes. Symptoms usually include tingling of the mouth, vomiting, dizziness, and eventually, paralysis and death. There is no known antidote so treatment usually includes pumping the stomach.

However, tetrodotoxin might not be all bad. Recent research has suggested that it may ease pain in cancer patients and help wean heroin addicts.

Answer 3

Yes. Parts are. In Japan a pufferfish chef has to be certified before he can prepare one for a customer. He has to be throughly trained. Eating part of the pufferfish( entrails, organs, gills) can lead to sickness or death. It literally is a food to die for. People in Japan lose their lives each year because they cook it at home improperly. It is caused(pretty sure anyway) by pufferfish ingesting an algae that is poisonous. The poison is concentrated in the organs. The flesh is alright and is considered a delicacy. A chef has to be able to carefully remove all parts of the fish that might hold the toxin. I would not try it, even if the chef ate it with me. I'll stick with salmon.

Answer 4

Yes, certain parts of them.

In Japan, it is a delicacy prepared by highly trained and licensed sushi chefs, called Fugu.

They cut out the poisonous glands, but leave a bit of the poisonous areas so that there is a mild tingle when eating the fish.

A few people die from Fugu consumption every year, even with careful preparation.

Answer 5

Yes, they are but I wouldn't try it. In some Asian countries it's a delicacy. However, prepared incorrectly it can be deadly posionous. In fact, several people die each year consuming improperly prepared pufferfish at restaurants.

Answer 6

Yes they are. In Japan the preparation of "Fugu" is considered a delicacy but only chefs who have been licensed can prepare it. The reason for this is that these fish produce a neurotoxin known as tetrodotoxin. This toxin is a very potent inhibitor of the activation of specific sodium channels in your cells. If these channels are blocked you can no longer control nerve impulses appropriately and any cell that has the particular type of sodium channel will be permanently depolarized, or lose its ability to regulate the electrical behavior of its cell membrane (such as all of your muscles). Therefore, if you eat Fugu that is prepared incorrectly, you are in big trouble.

Answer 7

You bet and delicious. If you're actually dealing with the whole fresh fish and are gutting it yourself, be careful when removing these parts. As it is a gland inside that contains the very deadly poison, and you don't want to break that.

Answer 8

They are very toxic unless you are well trianed as to the proper method of preparing them. The Japanese eat them as a delicacy, but many die in the attempt. Even when they are properly prepared, the meat has enough toxin in it to affect your mouth, but not enough to kill you. The Japanese have regulated the preparation so that the server must complete rigorous training and be certified. All in all, it sounds like the fish is too toxic to be considered safe, by any standards.

Answer 9

Only if prepared right I wouldn't take a risk of dieing over a fish.
Eat sword fish it tastes like stake but its fish.

Answer 10

Can You Eat Puffer Fish