A YouTuber tried the so-called ‘most poisonous fish in the world’ – and lived to tell the tale.
Drew Binsky, who has the distinction of having travelled to every country in the world, travelled to Japan to try the famous fugu, a type of pufferfish. It can prove fatal if not cooked correctly and kills around 20 people every year.
He explains: “A single wrong cut by the chef and your lips tingle, your limbs go numb and you have a few minutes to live. Only a handful of chefs in Japan have the permit to cook food with the fish.”
People can die from tiny portions if it’s not cooked correctly. The chefs cut the stomach and takes out the poison.
Drew’s meal was cooked by one of the top fugu chefs in capital city Tokyo, Mr Yamada, who prepares the dish from start to finish.
His family have been running a popular restaurant in the city for five generations. While he admits people can die from the delicacy, he said he’s been a fugu chef for 45 years and it has never happened in his restaurant.
Drew adds: “I have so much trust in Mr Yamada because his attention to detail is mind-blowing.
“Watching his precise cuts I feel a mix of fascination and unease. The idea of eating something that could kill me is terrifying.
“I’ve done my research and have seen how gruesome the deaths can be and it’s hard to shake off that fear.”
The history of the fish dates back hundreds of years after it was discovered near a small Japanese seaside town.
People started dying after eating the pufferfish so the Japanese government banned it. The ban was lifted in the 1800s but with strict regulations.
Drew told his eating companion: “If this is our last meal together then nice meeting you. The best part is that we haven’t died yet.”
The popular YouTuber, who has more than 4.5 million subscribers on the site, tried the fish in a number of different ways and lived to tell the tale.
