What is sushi Tekka?
This time I will explain one type of sushi, “Tekka.”
Tekka is tuna used as a sushi topping
“Tekka” refers to lean tuna. A bowl of rice topped with red tuna and wasabi, vinegared rice wrapped in seaweed, and topped with tuna is called Tekkadon.
The original meaning of Tekka is the Japanese word for red-hot iron, the sparks produced when you strike the red-hot iron.
There are various theories, including that the color of the red flesh of tuna resembles red-hot iron, and that the wasabi in the tuna has a stimulating effect similar to that of tekka. Another theory is that the gambling parlors of those days were called “Tekka places,” and Tekka rolls were often eaten there. Tekka is one of the representative Edomae sushi dishes, but it is also a sushi topping that is deeply ingrained in the lives of ordinary people.
Is Tekka cuisine in the past different from today?
Although it is different from the current Tekka, there was already a seafood dish called “Tekka sushi” before the appearance of Tekka bowl and Tekka roll. The main ingredient of Tekka sushi is Shiba shrimp, and it is said that it was a food similar to chirashi sushi, which was boiled and chopped and eaten by sprinkling it on top of vinegared rice.
Tekka also had the meaning of “gambling,” so sushi made with shredded shrimp was called Tekka sushi, because the word “Tekka” means losing in a gambling game and breaking down. Tekka sushi is thought to be the origin of the seafood Tekka.
In addition to seafood, there is also a miso dish called “Tekka Miso.” Tekka miso is a dish made by adding root vegetables and soybeans to miso such as red miso, and seasonings such as sugar, mirin, and chili pepper. It is a type of so-called “name miso” and is said to be red in color due to the use of red miso and chili pepper, and was given the name Tekka because of the spiciness of the chili pepper.
