Japanese chefs take justifiable pride in the quality of their food.
Fugu Fugu, or blowfish, is one of Japan's great delicacies. This obsession is a source of puzzlement to foreigners, because eating fugu, if it has not been prepared by a skilled and licensed chef, is a bit like playing Russian roulette. Fugu contains a deadly neurotoxin that, if not carefully removed, will result in numbness and even death. Deaths are rare, though, and aficionados will avidly ingest the delicate-tasting fugu between October and March when it is in season. It originated over four centuries ago as a light accompaniment to the tea ceremony.