Toro (sushi)
is the fatty meat of tuna served as sushi or sashimi. It is usually cut from the belly or outer layers of the Pacific bluefin tuna. The etymology of the name comes from the fact that the meat has a creamy texture. According to the Sushi: The Complete Guide by Masuo Yosino, a customer at the Yoshino Sushi Honten named it as toro melts in your mouth.
''Toro'' popularity over time
Tuna only began to be used as a sushi topping in the Edo period where the lean meat was primarily used as the fatty meat spoiled more quickly, making it unusable for sushi or sashimi. It was instead used in dishes such as 2=ねぎま鍋 which was sold very cheaply. It was of such low value that it was even called 2=猫またぎ because it was said not even a cat would eat it.This prefence for the lean meat of tuna continued into the Shōwa era when freezing technology advanced, allowing the fatty meat to be transported long distances. As a Western-style diet began to spread, fattier meats became preferred. Today, 700,000 tons of tuna are consumed a year in Japan.
Types of toro
Toro is subdivided into two grades:- – very fatty cut from the belly area just behind the head, tender and rich; expensive and usually served on special occasions;
- – less fatty cut made from the areas closer to the tail; the fat content in the case of bigeye reaches 25%.
Production of toro
Toro from wild tuna is a seasonal product: winter tuna is considered to be better, summer one is less fatty.Except for the tuna fish, other fatty fish can be called "toro". For instance:
- the fatty part of skipjack tuna sashi.
- In Hokkaido, the local rice bowl is called "Nama Gyudon”, which uses raw beef.
- A pork which called "Pork buri"
In addition, the sauce, which is made by the belly and the fat of tuna, is called “Negitoro”. Most people think that its name came from its oily texture, but there are another version.