【Reading】とろ

【English Name】Fatty tuna, Toro

In sushi, "toro" refers to the fat-rich flesh of the tuna's belly. The name derives from the texture that "melts" (torori) the moment it enters the mouth; before this name took hold, the term "abu" was used.

Before the Edo period, the lean meat (akami) of tuna was the favorite. Fatty toro was unsuited to preservation by soy sauce marinating (zuke), and as a result of being regarded as an inferior cut, it was nicknamed "neko-matagi" ("even a cat would step over it") and was not uncommonly thrown away.

As time went on, appreciation for the rich flavor of animal fat rose, and combined with advances in refrigeration, freezing, and transport technology, its popularity surged. The price can reach more than twice that of lean meat in some cases.

According to the fat content, it is divided into "otoro" and "chutoro"; otoro comes mainly from the forward part of the belly, and chutoro from the rear part of the belly. The belly side has a higher proportion of fat than the back side, the forward part than the rear part, and the surface layer than the inner layer. With the development of full-cycle aquaculture technology, the production of individuals that store fat throughout the entire body has also been realized.