As some of you may have noticed, last week’s edit should've been about Bluefin Tuna. However, due to study obligations, I wasn't able to write the edit. So, Stefan came in and shaped the crusty world of Tempura for us.
This week we're back talking about incredibly expensive fish. If there's one fish that's famous for its price, it's undoubtedly Bluefin Tuna. As food enthusiasts, I think everybody knows why.
Wicked Tuna
Bluefin Tuna made a big impression on me since I was young. During the days I stayed home sick and my parents were both at work, I often watched TV. I could spend hours watching programs like Deadliest Catch, Ultimate Survival, and Gold Rush. But Wicked Tuna topped them all. Sorry Mom! I know I wasn't allowed to watch these types of channels at such an age!
Seeing those enormous fish being pulled out of the water by strong men who were somehow always financially starving if they didn't catch this specific fish surely made an impression on me.
Disguise
I also remember the very first time eating tuna well. I couldn't wrap my head around it how this tender meat could be of a fish. A reaction in which some of you are surely able to find yourselves in.
It's precisely that tenderness that makes the tuna so expensive. Allow me to paint a picture of how expensive a Bluefin Tuna can be.
Greed
In 2013 Kiyoshi Kamura, owner of the Japanese sushi chain Zanmai, bought a Bluefin Tuna for 1.7 million dollars. Kiyoshi Kamura tripled the record price set the year before, he admitted the cost was "a bit high".
Still, no need for him to slow down. For 7 consecutive years, Kiyoshi was the highest bidder in every New Years Tuna auction. In 2020 Kiyoshi broke his own record by paying 3.1 million dollars for a 278kg Bluefin Tuna. No wonder he calls himself the Tuna King.
This isn't of course the average price a restaurant has to pay for Bluefin Tuna. The reason why Kiyoshi paid so much for those is that they are the very first Bluefin Tunas of the New Year.
Origin of Tuna
Funny enough, Tuna was not always such a sought-after and high-priced product. During the Edo-period (1603-1868) Tuna was seen as a product for the lower-class and cats. This had 2 reasons.
1. Wrong pun intended
Shibi is an old Japanese word for Tuna. This word can be read as 'the day of death.' People who lived during the Edo period were very superstitious and pun-like words like these were taken very seriously. Because of this misplaced pun Tuna was seen as an 'unlucky' kind of food, meaning you better not eat it.
2. Gluttony
Tuna is an incredibly large fish. The largest tuna ever caught had a total weight of 678,6 kilograms. The man who caught this monster was Ken Fraser. And get this, Fraser needed just 45 minutes to bring the largest tuna ever caught close enough to gaff after it ate a trolled mackerel.
During the Edo-period there were no freezers, refrigerators (pretends to be shocked), or any methods of keeping food cool.
Fish were kept alive for as long as possible to ensure their freshness and it was impossible to keep a whole Tuna alive. Once a Tuna was cut, it didn't take long before the meat started to deteriorate sharply in quality.
I guess the Japanese of the Edo period never heard of the saying; Eyes bigger than your stomach.
The fatty parts of the fish, called toro, were the first to start deteriorating. These parts were so disliked that they were only considered suitable for cats. Nowadays, toro is the most expensive part of a Tuna. You will pay €84,- for a slice of 200g toro, which makes it almost as pricey as a piece of Wagyu A5.
Tuna Rises
The low-class perspective of Tuna changed when soy sauce became widely established in Japan, this took place in the mid/late 18th century. The Japanese discovered that Tuna kept longer and tasted better if it was marinated in a mixture of salty soy sauce and sweet mirin (rice wine).
Slowly but steadily Bluefin Tuna rose to the top. In the 1890s Tuna was eaten by the fisherman who caught them. The toro-piece was still the cat’s claim.
Tuna in the Mediterranean
But Tuna is way older than the Edo period. The very first mention of Tuna is written by the great Greek philosopher Aristotle himself in his book History of Animals (350BC). He describes the method the Spaniards and Italians have been using for several years to catch the majestic beast.
Wrath
The tunas are directed by fishermen through three miles of nets until it arrives in the so called 'Chamber of Death', where they are bludgeoned and speared to death by the hands of the fisherman.
In the picturesque seaside village of Carloforte in Sardinia, this brutal ritual is still often staged by the local fisherman. The practice is considered so brutal, it has been banned everywhere else in the Mediterranean. So it doesn't come really surprising when in 2008 the ritual was also banned in Carloforte. One can only wonder why...
If you want to know more about this bloody ritual I recommend you watch the following documentary: "TONNARA."
Lust
However, Tuna is not only high in price when it comes to financial costs. Especially the Bluefin Tuna. The extinction rate of the Bluefin Tuna has been set at 'endangered by the WWF foundation meaning, the animal is facing a high risk of extinction.
The cause herefore is the ever-growing demand from us, humans, for Bluefin Tuna. The prediction of extinction of the Bluefin Tuna is set at 2030, which is shockingly close.
Envy
The reason I mention the extinction risks of the Bluefin Tuna and Puffer Fish is that it is important that these animals are able to keep rewriting their history. Something that's impossible when it's extinct.