What is chūtoro in sushi?中トロ
This time, I looked into the various names and seasons for sushi chūtoro.
How to call chūtoro
【chūtoro】marbled tuna belly チュウトロ 中トロ
Chutoro is used as the name for the part of tuna. Furthermore, tuna generally refers to bluefin tuna in most cases, and other species, such as marlin tuna, which also include tuna, are academically considered to be different.
Tuna is characterized by different names depending on the region, with young tuna being called Yoko, Yokowa (Kinki and Shikoku), meji (Chubu and Kanto), Hissage, and adults being called Bluefin tuna (Tokyo), while others are called Shibi and Kuroshibi (in various regions). There are so many different names.
By the way, tuna meat can be broadly divided into lean meat and toro (fatty meat). Chutoro is obtained from a part that contains both red meat and fatty meat.
The peak season for chūtoro
Chutoro refers to the fatty part of the tuna’s abdomen, with the fatty part being called otoro, and the next fatty part being chutoro. Chutoro can be taken not only from the abdomen but also from the back. You can enjoy the deliciousness and texture of the combination of lean meat and fat. In fact, there are no clear regulations that define Chuo Toro or distinguish it from Otoro.
The season for tuna is winter, especially fatty tuna that is available from November to February. However, in recent years, aquaculture has become popular, and you can enjoy delicious tuna all year round. From this information, we can see that the season for Chutoro differs depending on the region and the annual climate. However, winter is generally considered to be the most delicious season.
