Eating a Japanese blowfish can definitely kill you, but you can rest assured this 10-year-old girl will prepare it safely.
The fugu, also known as blowfish, preparation certification test is one of the hardest cooking tests since it’s a matter of life or death. And now, Karin Tabira from Kumamoto Prefecture is the youngest person in history to pass it.
The 10-year-old did the test earlier this summer and results were announced in late August.
Less than 65% of applicants pass the hands-on examination
During the test, candidates are required to remove the poisonous portion of the blowfish with the tools given and prepare it for consumption.
Tabira’s approach to prepare the fugu was to use a hammer to drive her butcher’s knife through the blowfish’s tough bones.
Yuki Hirao, an executive at the wholesaler Tabira has been apprenticing, expressed her thoughts on the young girl’s massive achievement. She said: “Even our adult staff can fail the test. For a 10-year-old to clear the test first time, it’s amazing.”
Occasionally, unlicensed individuals eat fugu caught in the sea and die.
Tabira would’ve had to wait eight more years to participate in the test, but found a way around it and succeeded alongside professional chefs
There are plenty of fugu preparation certification tests in Japan, but many of them, including Tabira’s preferred site of Kumamoto, require all applicants to be at least 18 years old.
Not wanting to wait any longer, Tabira headed to Yamaguchi Prefecture, which has no age requirement and is known for having the most delicious fugu in all of Japan.
After the examination, Tabira felt confident in her performance and rightly so. When results came out, the young girl was one of 60 people — many of which were professional chefs — who passed the test in the Yamaguchi region that summer.
Fugu still remains a prized delicacy in Japan, despite its dangerous nature
While Japanese blowfish may be a delicious dish, every organ of it is poisonous — including its skin. The inside of the animal contains a paralyzing tetrodotoxin which makes it impossible to breathe when ingested and forces the victim to stay conscious as they suffocate.
However, despite the high risk, fugu is still prepared in many restaurants in Japan and can be found as raw sashimi, stewed in hot pot, or deep-fried as fritters. Customers have praised the dish for its firm flavor and texture for many years.
The certification test ensures customers that there is practically no danger in eating fugu at restaurants or supermarkets, and it sets a high bar for aspiring chefs.
Recently, the 10-year-old served a platter of thin slices of fugu sashimi to the governor
On August 22, Tabira was invited to the Kumamoto Prefectural Capital Building where she was greeted and congratulated by Governor Takashi Kimura and bear mascot Kumamon. She had brought a plate of fugu that she had prepared, which Kimura ate and found delicious.
Passing the test made for a “good summer vacation” Tabira said.
Due to her age, she is still too young to start preparing meals in restaurants but Tabira mentioned her dream was to one day become a professional fugu chef.
Commenters on social media see a bright future ahead for Tabira
The Internet community mentioned how passing this certification test would open many doors for the 10-year-old.
One user said that when she starts working, she’ll already have eight years of experience, which is “definitely the type of employee your boss wants.”
Another added, “This girl will probably end up going to Tōtsuki Culinary Academy and becoming one of the Youngest Elite Ten members.”
More users on X and Facebook express both pride and skepticism
