Toro (sushi)

Toro (Japanese: トロ; ideophonic word for "melting") is the fatty meat of tuna served as sushi or sashimi. Toro, often abbreviated form of toro-keru, is one of two categories of Japanese tuna, otherwise known as maguro (マグロ or 鮪). The maguro counterpart, zuke (漬け), refers to raw lean tuna and is often marinated in soy sauce, mirin, and/or sake. Toro is usually cut from the belly or outer layers of the Pacific bluefin tuna (the other fish known for similar meat is bigeye tuna). The etymology of the name comes from the fact that the meat has a creamy texture. According to the Sushi: The Complete Guide (liberal translation of 鮓・鮨・すし-すしの事典) by Masuo Yosino, a customer at the Yoshino Sushi Honten named it as toro melts in your mouth.