For Sushi lovers, probably tuna is the most favourite stuff among sushi variation. Here, I will try to explain about the Tuna’s tastes in variation.
Some who is a frequent Sushi eater should know that tuna has some names by its parts. For Sushi lovers, it might be a must to remember them in Japanese names because you will have to order by Japanese names at Sushi restaurants in Japan.
Tuna has in general 3 parts in Sushi or sashimi. Please take a look at the photo. The red part is the standard part called AKAMI or just Maguro ( tuna ) in Japanese. If you order Maguro or Maguro no akami, chef will serve you this read part tuna in sushi or sashimi.
Next, please see the white part of tuna. This is called toro or oh-toro. Toro part means the fat part of tuna. If the Sushi restaurant has 2 types of toro, they should have oh-toro and chu-toro. This oh-toro is the most fatty part of tuna. Usually people may think this is not good because it’s oily. In Japan, it’s not like so at all. Oh-toro is the most expensive part of tuna. And it’s believed to be the most delicious part without a doubt. If you order oh-toro at a good sushi restaurant, only 1 piece of oh-toro sushi could cost you 1000 yen or about 10 US dollars. Usually sushi comes out with 2 pieces, so you will have to pay more than 2000 yen or 20 dollars for only 2 pieces of oh-toro sushi.
This is not a crazy story at all. Oh-toro is such an expensive part. 100 years ago, they didn’t have custom to eat this part, but in recent Japanese food history, oh-toro has been the best gourmet food of Japan together with Kobe beef or some more things.
Also look at the tuna meat in the middle of the photo. The meat has red part and white part together. This part is called chu-toro. Chu-toro is less expensive than oh-toro. But the taste is really good. Oh-toro is of course a gourmet food, and chu-toro is also a rich food of Japan. There certainly are people who says that chu-toro is much better than oh-toro in taste. So we can’t say that oh-toro is always better than chu-toro in taste. personally, I like chu-toro better.
For me, chu-toro has good balance of fat and red meat, so the oily feeling is not that heavy compared to oh-toro. I can recommend you have chu-toro first by the reason of the price too. If you liked the chu-toro taste, next please try oh-toro. In any case, as far as the tuna is a selected stuff by good chef, the sushi toro sushi will give you an unforgettable food experience with melting taste in your mouth.
As a note, there are sushi resutaurants that have no differnce between chu-toro and oh-toro. In that case, you can simply order ” toro “. If you are asked ” which do you like Oh-toro or Chu-toro ?”, you can just answer the one you like…before that please check the price !
Toro is very good both in sishu and sashimi. Even we Japanese can’t eat them so often because it’s too expensive. But if you visit Japan, it’s a good choice for your one and only experience.
Some foreigners can’t eat toro because it’s a little fatty and they say it’s smelly. Most of the experienced Sushi eaters like toro, but for the first time eater, we recommend red part. Then gradually taste the fat part too. I think you will soon become sushi addiction.
