Pufferfish
Tetraodontidae
Not Kosher
Description
Some pufferfish are a delicacy when prepared by specially trained chefs who remove the toxic parts, served as fugu in Japan, bok in Korea, and similar dishes in China. Non-toxic species like the northern puffer are eaten in North America.
Pufferfish are most varied in the tropics and uncommon in temperate zones, and they're absent from cold water. Most are marine or brackish, with about 35 freshwater species scattered across South America, Africa, and Southeast Asia.
Also known as
- Fugu
- Blowfish
- Swellfish
- Balloonfish
- Globefish
- Toadfish
Pufferfish in foreign languages
| Scientific | Tetraodontidae |
| Hebrew | נפוחיתיים |
| Arabic | ينفوخية |
| Spanish | Puercoespín de mar |
| Portuguese | Tetraodontídeo |
| French | Poisson-globe |
| Italian | Tetraodontidi |
| German | Kugelfische |
| Russian | Иглобрюхие |
| Turkish | Kirpi balığı |
| Chinese | 四齒魨科 |
| Japanese | フグ科 |
| Korean | 참복과 |
| Bengali | বেলুন মাছ |
| Vietnamese | Họ Cá nóc |
| Thai | วงศ์ปลาปักเป้าฟันสี่ซี่ |
| Indonesian | jabuih |
Warnings & Kosher Issues
- Instead of scales it has caltrop-like dermal spines, so it has no true scales and is not kosher.
- Most species are toxic. The liver and sometimes the skin carry tetrodotoxin, which can paralyze the breathing muscles and kill. People who survive past 24 hours usually recover.