【Reading】てっか

【English Name】tekka

"Tekka" is a term widely established in the sushi world to denote the lean red meat (akami) of tuna. Originally it was a word describing the appearance of iron heated in a forge—glowing red-orange—and the scattering sparks.

Several theories exist about its origin. One holds that the redness of heated iron overlaps with the color of tuna flesh; another anecdote says it derives from the roll being prized as something one could nibble with one hand at a gambling den (tekka-ba).

Because there was no refrigeration technology in the Edo period, it was common to marinate lean tuna in soy sauce or a soy-based sauce for preservation and flavoring. This term for the marinade, "zuke," is regarded as the origin of the sushi term "tekka," and eventually lean tuna itself came to be called tekka. Today it is widely used in the names of various lean-tuna dishes, beginning with tekka-maki and tekka-don.

Behind this word lies the working-class culture of Edo. Linked also with expressions denoting a spirited, fight-ready temperament such as "tekka-hada" and "tekka-geisha," it is thought to have taken root in society as a word symbolizing the stylish (iki) food culture of Edomae.