tuna are a genus of the mackerel family called thunnus, which can be further divided into various species, including Thunnus thynnus, Thunnus obesus and Thunnus albacares. English speaking countries call it ‘tuna,’ and in Japan it is known as ‘maguro.’

Tuna was introduced to Korea in 1957. It is now called ‘chamchi’, but at that time it had a different name - ‘jinchi.’ Koreans put the letter ‘chi’ at the end of the names of fish they consider particularly delicious, including galchi (largehead hairtail) and samchi (cero mackerel). For tuna, the same rule was followed, bearing witness to the high regard in which it was held. The letter ‘jin’ in jinchi means ‘real’ when it is a Chinese character. This letter was eventually exchanged for a pure Korean one, ‘cham,’ and that remains in the name to this day. ’

The name tuna comes from the Greek word 'thuno/thuo' meaning 'to rush', as tuna swim very, very fast through the ocean. An ancient greek poet Opianus described it as the best jumping and the fastest swiming fish.

When did people start eating tuna sashimi?

The fact that tuna bones are regularly excavated from shell mounds tells us that Japanese people were eating tuna about 16,500 years ago, in the Jomon period. Fishermen at that time used to eat it raw, which is the origin of tuna sashimi.

As tuna finishing developed during the Edo period, fishermen began bringing in large catches. However, not all of them could be eaten fresh, which is why people began pickling them with soy sauce, expanding the storage time. But this was also when eating tuna as sashimi became common. Nowadays we are able to enjoy fresh tuna sashimi anytime we want thanks to advanced storage technologies.

Tuna sushi found by accident

Just over two centuries ago, tuna began to be caught in large quantities in Japan, leading to a decrease in prices. One sushi restaurant came up with an idea to take advantage of the low prices. They decided to use tuna to make sushi on a trial basis. The expereiment was a great success, and eventually it became so popular that it required its own menu.