T U N A
WHAT'S THE BIG DEAL?!
T U N A
WHAT'S THE BIG DEAL?!
What is Toro?
In Japan, a blue fin tuna is graded by the quality of the cuts of meat which can be obtained from it, particularly the prized toro, the fatty belly of the tuna. Tuna for sushi is carefully handled, to ensure that the flesh is not bruised or damaged. When the tuna arrives at the fish market, core samples of the flesh are taken with a special tool so that the color, texture, and flavor of the meat can be assessed before the tuna is priced. While sushi uses many different types of tuna including yellow fin and big eye, true toro is only taken from blue fin tuna.
Akami
Akami is the most common cut of tuna you’ll see. It is the least fatty section and is red in color. The name makes sense, as the “aka” in akami means red. Akami is the most common selection of tuna used for Sushi.
Chutoro
chutoro is the cut between the akami and otoro. This name is pertinent because “chuu” means middle in Japanese. It is also in the middle when it comes to fat content. Chutoro has a good mix of both fat and meat, which makes it less chewy than akami. However, because it is the cut in between the akami and otoro, there isn’t much chutoro available to cut out of each tuna fish.
Otoro
The most expensive and most desirable cut is otoro. This high-quality cut is from the fat under-belly of a tuna fish. The fat adds a sweet note to the taste and the texture is always described as “melt in your mouth” soft. Interestingly, this part of the tuna used to be thrown out before refrigeration was invented. The high fat content meant that it spoiled faster then the meatier parts. Nowadays, it is the most sought after cut in every tuna.
What is Toro?
In Japan, a blue fin tuna is graded by the quality of the cuts of meat which can be obtained from it, particularly the prized toro, the fatty belly of the tuna. Tuna for sushi is carefully handled, to ensure that the flesh is not bruised or damaged. When the tuna arrives at the fish market, core samples of the flesh are taken with a special tool so that the color, texture, and flavor of the meat can be assessed before the tuna is priced. While sushi uses many different types of tuna including yellow fin and big eye, true toro is only taken from blue fin tuna.
Akami
Akami is the most common cut of tuna you’ll see. It is the least fatty section and is red in color. The name makes sense, as the “aka” in akami means red. Akami is the most common selection of tuna used for Sushi.
Chutoro
chutoro is the cut between the akami and otoro. This name is pertinent because “chuu” means middle in Japanese. It is also in the middle when it comes to fat content. Chutoro has a good mix of both fat and meat, which makes it less chewy than akami. However, because it is the cut in between the akami and otoro, there isn’t much chutoro available to cut out of each tuna fish.
Otoro
The most expensive and most desirable cut is otoro. This high-quality cut is from the fat under-belly of a tuna fish. The fat adds a sweet note to the taste and the texture is always described as “melt in your mouth” soft. Interestingly, this part of the tuna used to be thrown out before refrigeration was invented. The high fat content meant that it spoiled faster then the meatier parts. Nowadays, it is the most sought after cut in every tuna.