Poison, poison everywhere, but not a drop to eat

Poison, poison everywhere, but not a drop to eat

By John Aglionby

JAKARTA (JP): Fugu, a prickly blowfish, are 1,000 times more
poisonous than cyanide. To most people that would be a very good
reason to avoid them. But the Japanese, famous for their penchant
for raw fish, think otherwise.

Four thousand years ago they began to eat, and die from, this
extremely expensive winter delicacy, if fossil analysis is
anything to go by. The Chinese and Koreans developed a liking for
it a millennium or so later and it is now served in many
countries around the world.

"It began as a male image thing," Fumiharu Fujii, a fugu chef
from Simonoseki -- the only town where the Japanese government
allows the fish to be sold -- said. "Ancient warriors, such as
the samurai, used to eat it to demonstrate their courage and as a
way to show off to women."

Such displays of manliness became so common that the
traditional Tora (tiger) fugu was at risk of becoming extinct.
"So what the government did was to extend the number of puffers
that could be classed as fugu," Orita said.

There are now 16 varieties of the fish whose name is Japanese
for sea pig. Chefs learned from experience that one is completely
poisonous and various parts of the others should also be avoided.

"Fugu are divided into meat, skin and semen," Fujii said.
"With some you can eat only the meat, others the meat and skin,
and with a few the semen is also served."

This explains why it is a winter delicacy, according to Hikaru
Orita, coordinator for the Grand Hyatt's dozen Japanese
restaurants. "During the winter fugu are preparing to propagate.
So they are eating lots of vitamins and nutrients and are also
secreting semen.

"Catching them at this time of year means that the meat is
more tasty and there is also the milky semen," he said.

Being a winter delicacy also explains why the fish is so
expensive. Fujii said: "The best fugu are found in the straits
between southern Japan and the Korean Peninsula. During the
winter the seas are very rough there so it is dangerous for the
fishermen."

"And fugu have to be caught one at a time with a thick wire as
their teeth are so sharp," he added.

Catching fugu is only half the battle. Extracting the poison
is highly skilled work that involves soaking the fish in running
water and then treating it with, among other things, Japanese
parsley.

Cooking it at home is not an experience you are likely to
survive, according to Fujii. "It took me several years to become
qualified to prepare and serve fugu. As far as I know I have not
killed anyone yet."

It is served in a variety of ways. Fujii, chef at the Grand
Hyatt in Cheju, Japan, is offering four dishes at Sumire, the
Jakarta hotel's Japanese restaurant for lunch and dinner until
next Sunday.

The piece de resistance is very thinly sliced Sashimi Fugu.
Served with a type of chive and several other condiments, one
eats the almost transparent raw fish by wrapping the herbs in it
and dipping it in the sauce.

The smooth texture needs to be savored in the mouth rather
than gulped to be fully appreciated, but the different flavors
fuse extremely well to make a delicious meal.

One of the extras was strips of raw fugu skin. These tasted
more like aging chewing gum than most delicacies I have eaten but
according to Orita, that is exactly what it is meant to resemble.

People used to eating nasi putih three times a day will not
find fugu that filling. And the other drawback of the Hyatt's
promotion is the price.

One portion of Sashimi Fugu costs Rp 300,000 -- the equivalent
of 20 square meters of floor tiles, two front doors or 35 percent
of a leather belt in Alfred Dunhill in Plaza Indonesia. And that
is a bargain by Japanese standards.

The other dishes are not nearly as expensive. Fugu Chiri, a
spicier offering, is Rp 90,000, toasted fugu fin will put you
back only Rp 40,000, and with the change from this you could have
the deep-fried fugu for a paltry Rp 30,000.

I suppose you get what you pay for because this final dish was
not as enjoyable as the other three. There was nothing wrong with
the meat but there were so many bones it almost became a chore
stripping the meat from them with nothing but chopsticks.

A variety of Japanese drinks, including sake and shocu
cocktails, are available to wash down the fish with and the
ambience of the restaurant is appropriately low-key and relaxing.

So if you feel in need of spending a great deal of money and
have an iron-clad digestive system that can stomach a large
plateful of raw fish, indulge yourself to what will be a
memorable meal at the Hyatt. Otherwise go and buy a front door or
two.

Fugu is being served at the Grand Hyatt's Japanese restaurant,
Sumire, for both lunch and dinner until Sunday Nov. 17.