When wild artemisia blankets the fields and tender reeds first sprout, the pufferfish begins its upstream jour…
When wild artemisia blankets the fields and tender reeds first sprout, the pufferfish begins its upstream journey.
Nicknamed the "bubble fish," the river pufferfish lives in freshwater. With its rounded body tapering to a narrow tail, it has long held a dangerous allure. As early as the Qin and Han dynasties, it was said: "To eat it is to risk death." Yet its soft, snow-white flesh is considered a supreme delicacy. So much so that scholars and nobles have praised it across the centuries, willingly gambling with fate for a single taste. Fattest in early February and grow more toxic after March, it is best enjoyed in the brief window of early spring.