The ahi tuna vs spicy tuna tale begins before the first either was made into a sushi menu item. One was the silent monarch of the sushi counter that chefs pay homage to and customers pay a fortune for. The other was the life of the party with its spicy and creamy, wherever you are you'll find it in grocery stores, gas stations, fancy omakase bars, etc. How could 2 different versions of the same fish be in the 2 different situations? It's the one that needs to be unpacked, as the answer gives a lot of insight into sushi culture, economics and eating habits.
Biology is the first step in ahi tuna vs spicy tuna. Ahi, a species of warm water world-wide distributed prized food fish yellowfin tuna. Lean mild and firm making it perfect for slicing raw. Yellowfin has been a popular component in sushi in Japan for a long term but it hasn't attained the mythical reputation of bluefin. The highly pricey, extra fat tuna is called Bluefin. Yellowfin is the workhorse, the tuna that doesn't break the bank and it's of good quality. In the 1960's and 1970's, this yellowfin started to be used for making sushi in America because it was readily available, inexpensive and easy to prepare.
Things began t...