03-08-2013
Four specimen of his majesty the red tuna, caught in the waters of Amettla de Mar in Cataluña by Balfegó, fifth generation of fishermen and first and only company in the world that can offer fresh Thunnus thynnus all year round. In Italy, they are distributed by Longino & Cardenal
This small treasure swims freely 35 metres below and when it gets to the surface - it is only for a moment, quick, silent and fleeting – it seems like a sudden brilliance: one hundred, one thousand darting brilliant red sparks from a fire that stays at the bottom of the sea. Each spark weighs 180 kilos, by the way. Let the fans of soft tinned tuna flush, let the knights of the yellow fin tuna run away: here we remain, deferential, in front of his Majesty the red tuna. The taxonomy says Thunnus thynnus and as stated in textbooks, this large prince of the seas is to be found “in all the tropical, subtropical and temperate waters of the Atlantic ocean, including the Mediterranean sea and the Southern Black sea”. The books, however, omit a decisive detail: red tuna has now its own capital, unquestionable even though it is not officially acknowledged: namely Amettla de Mar, in the province of Tarragona, in Cataluña, 5 thousand inhabitants and, at the right time, 6 thousand red tuna. More than the humans, that is to say.
With us there were chefs Moreno Cedroni, Cristina Bowerman and Ilario Vinciguerra. While the first admits to feel a “profound love” for red tuna, Glass’ chef confesses she has a “conflicting relationship. Here, however, I changed my mind"
The caudal fin is sectioned in order to find out the percentage of fat in the tuna, which needs to range between 5 and 12% of the total mass. Health controls follow: each tuna has its barcode.
1. To be continued
An outdoor trip or a journey to the other side of the planet? One thing is for sure: the destination is delicious, by Carlo Passera
by
journalist born in 1974, for many years he has covered politics, mostly, and food in his free time. Today he does exactly the opposite and this makes him very happy. As soon as he can, he dives into travels and good food. Identità Golose's editor in chief