The world of haute cuisine and luxury auctions recently witnessed a deal with astronomical values that defies common consumer logic. A single specimen of a marine animal was sold for a sum that would buy several luxury homes, generating a huge media buzz. The buyer did not hesitate to open his purse strings to secure what is considered the greatest trophy in the oceans.
It is a 243 kilogram bluefin tuna, purchased by businessman Kiyoshi Kimura at the famous Toyosu fish market, in Tokyo. The president of the Sushizanmai restaurant chain shelled out an impressive 510 million yen, equivalent to around 2.74 million euros, to take this fish home.
A record broken by the “King of Tuna”
According to Jornal Sol, this amount helped Kimura beat his own record previously established in 2019. At the time, the businessman had already paid more than three hundred million yen, consolidating his nickname “king of tuna” in the Japanese market.
This extravagant purchase is seen by many as a powerful marketing move for his sushi chain. By displaying this “diamond of the seas”, as he called it, in front of cameras and customers, the brand gains international recognition that justifies the large investment in this unique example.
From trash to luxury delicacy
The same source indicates that the appreciation of this species is a relatively recent phenomenon in the history of Japan. During the Edo period, which lasted until the mid-19th century, this type of fish was classified as “gezakana”, an expression that literally means fish of inferior quality.
At that time, according to the same source, the meat of this animal was “considered unfit for human consumption” due to its rapid degradation and strong flavor. Tuna was often turned into lighting oil or, even worse, its remains were used as fertilizer for agricultural fields.
The change in taste after the war
To make the flavor bearable in those ancient times, those who had no other food option would bury the meat for four days to ferment. The aforementioned source explains that the lack of adequate refrigeration conditions contributed decisively to this widespread rejection by the Japanese population.
The change in the status of this fish only happened after the Second World War, driven by food shortages and Western influence. The American presence in the archipelago introduced a taste for foods richer in fat, bringing the Japanese palate closer to the characteristics of red meat that tuna has.
The logistics that created a million-dollar market
In the 1970s, a business opportunity arose that would change the sushi industry forever. Cargo planes carrying Japanese technology to the United States returned empty, until someone decided to fill the holds with tuna caught off the coast of New England.
It also explains how the fattest part of the fish’s belly, the “toro”, became the star of modern sushi dishes. What was once fertilizer has become a global delicacy capable of generating millions of euros in a single auction.
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