Chicken Sashimi

Japan is a wondrous place that offers a variety of bizarre treats. A treat that might put many people off, however, is raw chicken meat, known as chicken sashimi. Weird as it may be, a lot of people eat raw chicken in Japan.

In the West, we are taught that uncooked chicken can only bring pain and misery… usually in the form of salmonella. However, in Japan, it is sometimes found in traditional Japanese restaurants, known as izakaya.

So How Can You Eat Raw Chicken in Japan Without Dying?

No matter what you do, there is always a risk of getting food poisoning from chicken sashimi. However, the way you prepare the sashimi can reduce the chance of contracting something horrible.

In Japan, the way they usually prepare the sashimi is by taking thin slices or cubes from the inner breast. This is the part of the chicken that has the lowest possibility of contamination.

However, it’s not all sunshine and lollipops.

Related Article: Why Do The Japanese Wear Masks?

Campylobacter and Salmonella

In my cooking classes at school, I was only taught about salmonella being a possible enemy. But, it turns out salmonella isn’t our only smeg to fight off, here.

One of Japan’s national newspapers, the Asahi Shimbun, declared that 60% of food poisoning from raw chicken in Japan was caused by the bacteria campylobacter. It’s found in the intestines of chickens, which is why chefs tend to avoid that area and stick to preparing sashimi from the inner breast.

You should be aware that the outer breast gives rise to chances of contracting salmonella, though. Smeg me. I hope the chefs know what they’re doing!

Governmental Concerns

In July 2017, Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare stated concerns for chicken-sashimi poisoning. In fact, they asked restaurants to reconsider serving the dish altogether and suggested that chefs cook chicken to a 75-degree internal temperature to reduce the risk of contracting anything nasty.

Has Jade Eaten Raw Chicken in Japan?

Yes! Yes, I have – and it was a weird experience. The texture is just kind of mushy, and it’s a bit tasteless without any sauce added to it. But, it was absolutely fine, and I didn’t get terribly sick nor did I die.

What About Raw Eggs?

Well! Japan has a magical egg-preparing process that means you’re almost certainly not going to die or get sick at all!

How So?

There are apparently several stages that go into the cleaning and checking of eggs for consumption in Japan. And they are all performed by robots! Well, machines.

Stage 1

The machine lines up all the freshly laid eggies and gives them a good clean. The eggs are specifically placed with the tips down. The yolk then floats upwards and makes contact with the air pocket found at the more rounded end of the egg. The shell is the likeliest part to contain bacteria, so, this prevents the yolk from touching it! Amazing!

According to an article I found on the subject,

“12 special brushes are rotated at high speeds, polishing off every last speck of dirt and dust from the eggs. Jets of air and 11 drying brushes are then used to get rid of the water, and three propellers complete the drying stage.”

Incredible.

Stage 2

The machine checks the eggs for cracks with a selection of 16 tiny lightweight hammers. Then, hammers tap at the eggs as they roll along a conveyor belt.

So, the egg is crack-less if it produces a nice, clear “tock” sound. However, if it makes a dull, muffled sound, the poor eggy might have shell issues.

Apparently, the machine has a 95% accuracy rate in detecting cracks in the eggs – sweet.

Stage 3

Then, the machine checks the crack-less egglets for any leftover dirt, and then it checks inside them for bloodspots.

What’s a Bloodspot?

Well, they are little specks of blood sometimes found in chicken eggs. They are typically caused by burst blood vessels in the ovaries of the chicken and are not harmful to consume. However, Japan declares that eggs containing bloodspots as unfit for human consumption. Therefore, the poor, bloody eggies are weeded out in the preparation process.

How Does the Machine Detect Bloodspots?

The machine uses red and green diodes and analyses the wavelengths of the light as it shines through the shell. So, this test uncovers whether or not there are any bloodspots lurking inside. Cool!

Stage 4

The machine weighs and sorts the eggies by size. Then, a rapid-response robot sucks up 60 eggs of the same size and packs them into boxes of 10. After that, another robot comes over and seals the boxes so they can be shipped off.

Et Voilà!

Japan’s technology is so advanced, it can surf through 120,000 eggs per hour without any casualties. Imagine that: 33 eggs per second – mental!

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Gonna Go Eat An Egg Now

I eat raw eggs pretty much every day in Japan. Basically, the main difference between Japan and the West is that Japan bothers to clean its eggs properly! I’m sure if we implemented the same system worldwide, we would all be eating them raw too.

Have a lovely day!

Love Jade xxx