Raw liver has long been a delicacy in Japan, but after food poisoning worries, the country's health ministry decided to ban the raw food. This week, liver lovers have been rushing to restaurants to get their last taste. Four of them ended up ended up ill.
According The Mainichi Daily News, four women in Fukuoka ended up with stomach distress after eating raw liver. Raw liver can contain both Enterohemorrhagic E. coli O-157 and Campylobacter bacteria, which, according to The Yomiuri, are difficult to remove from raw liver. The Asahi Shimbun reports that one in 157 patients can even die after developing kidney disease.
On July 1, it will be illegal for restaurants to serve raw liver; serving raw liver will lead to fines and even jail time.
For now, connoisseurs of raw liver continue to flock to restaurants—and one even made a LEGO tribute to the dish. If the horrible stomachs and chancing death don't put you off, you have only a few days left to eat raw liver at restaurants in Japan.
食中毒:居酒屋で生レバーなど食べ、４人に症状 福岡 [Mainichi]
(Top photo: @nobu_tary )