Japan’s prized pufferfish, known as ‘fugu,’ is a luxurious delicacy often fetching up to 20,000 yen ($125) per meal at top-tier restaurants. Now, adventurous eaters can savor this potentially poisonous treat on a budget, thanks to Nissin Foods. The instant noodle giant recently launched a new ‘fugu’ flavor, expanding its extensive lineup with a wallet-friendly option priced at just 298 yen ($1.90).
Nissin Foods has encapsulated the essence of pufferfish into a concentrated oil packet for their latest cup noodle creation, although the process behind this potentially lethal flavoring remains undisclosed, the company stated on its website.
In recent years, specialty ramen shops focusing on fugu ramen have gained popularity, capturing the hearts of ramen enthusiasts,” the company added.
Nissin has no intentions of selling the fugu flavor outside of Japan, a spokesperson told CNN. Each cup includes dried chicken meatballs, spring onions, and Japanese-style shredded egg, all in a soup base enhanced with a hint of yuzu, according to the statement.
A CNN reporter who sampled the instant noodles described it as tasting like seafood broth and yuzu, a common citrus fruit in Japanese cuisine. Fugu typically has a subtle taste, which was not particularly pronounced in the dish.
Founded in 1958 by Momofuku Ando, Nissin recognized a demand for affordable, accessible food in the aftermath of World War II. Since then, it has grown into a global household name known for its iconic cup noodles.
For the fiscal year ending in March 2024, the company reported revenues exceeding 732 billion yen ($4.59 billion).
While prized in Japanese cuisine as sashimi or in hot pot dishes, nearly all pufferfish are toxic, with potentially fatal consequences if not prepared correctly. Tetrodotoxin, a deadly poison concentrated in the fish’s organs, skin, blood, and bones, can induce tingling around the mouth, dizziness, convulsions, respiratory paralysis, and death, according to medical experts.
According to the Department of Fisheries in Western Australia, pufferfish, found in tropical and subtropical oceans, rank as the second most poisonous vertebrate globally, after Colombia’s golden poison frog.
In Japan, chefs undergo rigorous training for a minimum of two years before they are eligible to take an examination that qualifies them to safely prepare fugu.
In 2018, a supermarket in Gamagori city, Aichi prefecture, raised alarms when two individuals consumed potentially hazardous fugu products purchased there. Although the pair did not report any health issues, authorities discovered that a licensed employee had neglected to remove the poisonous livers from the fish.
While the Japanese delicacy has gained popularity abroad in recent years, it has occasionally been linked to food safety concerns. In 2020, three people in the Philippines died after consuming pufferfish from a barbecue stand. Similarly, in Malaysia last year, an elderly couple in their early 80s tragically passed away after unknowingly purchasing and consuming at least two pufferfish from an online vendor, prompting their daughter to advocate for stricter regulations.
