Japanese men fall ill after eating pufferfish

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/mar/02/japanese-men-fall-ill-after-dining-on-puffer-fish

Version 0 of 1.

Five Japanese men have become sick after eating poisonous pufferfish, the latest victims of a delicacy considered sophisticated by fans and a crazy risk by others.

The men, all in their 40s and 50s, ate at a restaurant in western Wakayama city on Friday night, the city’s health official said. They were taken ill early the next day, experiencing breathing difficulties and vomiting.

“They consumed a dinner that included [pufferfish] liver, which is regarded as toxic material,” the official said.

The establishment, which did not answer calls, was shut down by city officials for five days from Sunday.

The restaurant served the banned, poisonous parts of the fish after requests from the diners, the official said.

Among other parts, the livers, ovaries and skin of the pufferfish – also known as the blowfish or fugu in Japanese – contain toxins powerful enough to kill an adult. Aficionados say the tingle that the organs leave on your lips – caused by the potent neurotoxin they contain – is part of the appeal.

But several people in Japan are taken to hospital every year after eating fugu.

In order to get a licence for serving the fish, restaurant chefs must train for years to pass a stringent exam, which includes paper and practical tests on how to distinguish poisonous parts from others. Strict regulations are often credited with the low level of fatalities.