Tontoro

From the cheek to the neck, finely marbled with fat that melts almost like fatty tuna. Only a small amount comes from each pig, and the balance of lean and fat gives it an especially rich flavor. How much fat runs through it differs slightly between the cheek side and the neck side, so how much it melts in the mouth shifts along its length. It can look like an ordinary piece of lean meat, but the fat's presence hits the moment it's in the mouth.

Its high fat content keeps it from toughening even under direct heat, and grilling it slowly, skewered or over an open flame, is the standard at yakiniku and yakitori counters alike. Because so little comes from one animal, pulling together enough for a full round of skewers usually means drawing on several pigs. Cutting it to an even thickness is said to keep the heat reaching a skewered piece evenly. Some shops even take it by reservation only, since how much comes in is hard to know until the animal is butchered.

The name itself is said to come from a resemblance to fatty tuna, or toro — a case where two completely unrelated animals get linked by nothing but the way their fat renders, which is part of what makes it a fun bit of food culture. Its scarcity and richness together earn it a special-occasion spot on both yakiniku and yakitori menus. Being limited in supply is exactly what gives ordering it a small sense of occasion.