Good Pufferfish Day (Ii Fugu no Hi)

What Is Good Pufferfish Day?

November 29 is "Good Pufferfish Day" (Ii Fugu no Hi). It was established by the tiger pufferfish farming division of the National Marine Fish Farming Association (一般社団法人全国海水養魚協会), whose members are domestic farmed torafugu producers. The date comes from the wordplay "ii (11) fugu (29)," together with the idea that fugu brings "fuku" (good fortune) to those who eat it. The day aims to share the deliciousness of torafugu, the king of pufferfish. In Shimonoseki, too, fugu is affectionately called "fuku" and treated as a lucky food.

The History and Culture of Fugu Cuisine

Because fugu contains the deadly toxin tetrodotoxin, eating it was long forbidden in Japan. There's a famous story from 1888 (Meiji 21) in which then-Prime Minister Hirobumi Ito tried fugu at the Shunpanro restaurant in Shimonoseki and was so impressed that he declared, "How could something this delicious be banned?" - leading to the lifting of the ban on eating fugu in Yamaguchi Prefecture. Today, preparing fugu legally requires a license or qualification issued under prefectural rules.

Types of Fugu Dishes

• Tessa (fugu sashimi): Paper-thin slices of raw fugu, often arranged in a chrysanthemum pattern and served with citrus and condiments
• Tetchiri (fugu hot pot): A shabu-shabu style hot pot simmered in kelp broth, enjoyed with citrus-soy ponzu sauce
• Fried fugu: Bone-in chunks of fugu, deep-fried - a popular item at izakaya pubs
• Hire-zake: Hot sake infused with the smoky aroma of grilled fugu fins
• Shirako: Male fugu milt (roe sac), considered a top-tier winter delicacy

Tiger Puffer Trivia

Tiger puffers grow to about 70 cm and spawn in spring. Their nerve toxin, tetrodotoxin, is concentrated especially in the liver and ovaries. Ishikawa Prefecture has a local delicacy of puffer ovaries salted for over a year and then pickled in rice bran to remove the toxin; exactly why the toxin disappears is still said to be not fully understood.

Where and When Fugu Is at Its Best

Tiger pufferfish (torafugu) are in season from October to March. Shimonoseki in Yamaguchi Prefecture is known as Japan's leading fugu hub. In recent years, advances in aquaculture have increased torafugu production, making fugu cuisine available not only at high-end restaurants but also at more casual establishments.