Regional Differences of Food Culutre on Tunas

Many Japanese dishes using tuna, such as sushi and rice bowls, are made from fresh tuna meat cut into strips like sashimi, whereas many of the dishes from overseas, such as pasta, sandwiches, and the Hawaiian dish poki, are made from canned tuna that has been unraveled. It should be noted that while few overseas retailers were seen selling tuna in raw form, a very extensive section selling canned tuna was observed.

Many overseas people do not like raw fish and do not have the custom of eating fish raw, so canned tuna that has been pre-cooked is the most popular choice. When we asked people from overseas, "What tuna dishes do you usually eat?" I found it very interesting that different eating habits lead to different cooking methods, even for the same ingredients.

I was curious about how tuna is consumed in Japan and overseas, so I did some research. According to "Trends in canned tuna (including skipjack tuna) production by country (1976-2016) FAO statistics", canned tuna production in Japan has been on a gradual downward trend since around 1988, while in other countries it has been on an upward trend since around 1976. From the above, it can be inferred that tuna in canned form is the most common form of tuna in foreign countries. This is due to the rise in global health consciousness in recent years. It is also felt that this is due to the fact that people who cannot eat animal meat for religious reasons, such as Hinduism and Islam, are also able to eat it.

Questionnaire survey asking 'Do you like tuna dishes (sushi, tuna sandwiches, etc.)' were given to stutends of SIT. Around 80% students answered 'yes'. Students who answered 'no' are less than 5%.

The result of questionnaire revealed that most of young Japanese like tuna dishes.