> their flesh, unless processed through a lengthy and complicated ritual, is highly toxic
...and even once processed, is disgusting. For a few seconds it's just bland seafood. Then the ammonia punches you in the face from inside your sinuses.
The ocellate spot skate, or 홍어, is a delicacy in Korea. It is a fish with high ammonia content and is rather expensive. The English Wikipedia article does not have much details about it, but the Korean version does: https://ko.wikipedia.org/wiki/%ED%99%8D%EC%96%B4
The ammonia does punch you in the face, but that can become an addictive sensation just as wasabi does.
Fermented skate is also eaten on Þorláksmessa (23rd of December) here in Iceland. Although it's boiled. Going into a house or restaurant where it's being prepared is an experience in itself.
If I may ask, where did you get the chance to try this, and how was it prepared?
I just read this on wikipedia:
> If the meat is eaten without pretreatment, the ingested TMAO is metabolized into trimethylamine, which can produce effects similar to extreme drunkenness
Might be crazy to think, but the thought crossed my mind if the meat was ever ingested, untreated, for recreational purposes.
Iceland, where it's called hákarl (/'howkartl/, sort of).
I don't know how it's prepared now, but the traditional method is to dig a shallow pit, put the shark in there, and then cover it with rocks. The rocks press out the toxic stuff. Then the meat is hung up to dry in an open-air shack. Each step takes 2-3 months.
I imagine there's a more industrial process now but I don't know for sure.
Hung for fermentation for a few months. Can see some of the process here[0]. It tastes a bit like strong cheese, with the same texture. Usually eaten with cold snaps.
It doesn't mean 'bitch' (that would be "tispe"), though in many dialects it's only used about women in the same way that word is. The literal meaning is just '(grown-up) woman'. In some dialects, it's still just used to mean 'wife' or '(old) woman' without anything negative, though in modern times the negative connotations have spread so it's used less and less like that. But it shows up in fairy tales and kids stories ( https://no.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kjerringa_som_ble_s%C3%A5_lita... ) and songs; you'd never see the word "bitch" used about women in English in material meant for children …
On behalf of Norwegian language users, thanks for the clarification. You explanation seems to be extremely precise.
(My qualifications: I've lived permanently in Norway since before 2000, I speak a Norwegian dialect and pass as a Norwegian all the time. I'm also married to a Norwegian woman so I kind of know the nuances. For Norwegians here: in my family it stops at "kone" even though by the dialect I speak it should rather be pronounced as "kåne" : ).
Yes, it depends on where in Norway you are, and the context, but if someone yelled "kjerring" somewhere around Oslo, the best translation would be "bitch".
If you disagree, we'll have to duke it out with Holmgang. ;)
...and even once processed, is disgusting. For a few seconds it's just bland seafood. Then the ammonia punches you in the face from inside your sinuses.