It sounds like something out of a thriller: a delicacy so deadly that one wrong cut could mean death. Yet, despite the risk, millions of people around the world still line up to try it .
We’re talking about fugu — also known as pufferfish — a Japanese dish considered a culinary delicacy… and potentially a lethal one.
Every year, over 200 people are poisoned by fugu , and about 30–50 of them die , according to health reports from Japan. Despite these numbers, nearly half a billion people consume pufferfish in various forms — often without any issues at all.
So what makes this food so dangerous? Why do people keep eating it? And how can it be both deadly and wildly popular?
