Pufferfish

Only the flesh of the pufferfish is considered to be eatable since it is believed to contain the poison in far less concentrations. It is in fact, considered a delicacy in many parts of the world like Japan or Korea. Such is the poisonous nature of pufferfish, referred to as fugu in Japan, that chefs dealing with it need to undergo special training that spans from 2 to 3 years and are required to clear a set of tests so as to obtain the mandatory certificate of practice. Apart from a written test, the chef will have to demonstrate his cutting abilities with him actually consuming the parts that he has cut forming the culminating part of the test. The tests are demanding, so much that only about 30% of the applicants make it through. This does not mean that the rest die due to consumption of fugu fish since they can fail in the earlier rounds as well. The poison causes a slight tingling sensation of the mouth and it forms the only food that the Emperor of Japan is legally barred from eating, keeping in mind his safety and health concerns.