It’s often said that when it comes to food, freshness is everything. However, greater freshness doesn’t always mean better flavor. Each type of food, such as vegetables, fish, and meat, has its own “peak ripeness” when it tastes its best.
When it comes to fish, the strong belief that “freshness is everything” can sometimes prevent us from fully appreciating its value. Consider fish that are still swimming before the customer’s eyes and then prepared on the spot. While its texture is unique and firm, its umami is weak, and its flavor is lacking. Yet, the notion that “fresh equals delicious” remains deeply ingrained, creating a mindset where belief in freshness outweighs actual flavor.
Let’s take this opportunity to reexamine what truly constitutes the perfect time to enjoy food at its most flavorful.
Vegetables, after harvest, continue breathing, consuming their internal sugars and nutrients while losing moisture, which causes their freshness to decline. To suppress this respiratory activity, effective methods include cold storage, packaging that prevents moisture evaporation, or storage in an environment with low oxygen and high carbon dioxide levels.
On the other hand, vegetables like potatoes and sweet potatoes become more delicious through aging. When potatoes are stored at low temperatures, cold-induced sweetening occurs, breaking down starch into sugar and increasing sweetness. Sweet potatoes also undergo curing after harvest (It forms a protective cork layer, preventing pathogen invasion and suppressing decay). Storing them at a specific temperature and humidity allows the starch to saccharify, enhancing their sweetness and sticky texture. However, apart from these specific examples, vegetables generally lose their freshness over time, so eating them right after harvest is when they taste best.
The optimal time to eat fish varies by species. Coastal migratory fish like sardines and mackerel spoil quickly, making freshness extremely important. These contain EPA, a beneficial fish oil, but since it is vulnerable to heat and oxidation, it is best to choose fresh, high-quality fish for raw consumption.
Even among blue-backed fish, large pelagic migratory species like tuna and yellowtail are different. If they are too fresh, their umami flavor is weak. The umami components increase once rigor mortis subsides and aging begins, reaching their peak flavor.
Furthermore, white-fleshed fish like red seabream and flounder also require careful handling. While Ikejime techniques are used to preserve freshness, freshly caught fish offer a firm, crisp texture. However, umami compounds increase after rigor mortis sets in, meaning “freshness” doesn’t necessarily equate to “deliciousness.”
Sushi chefs fully understand that the ideal eating time varies by fish species. They also fully understand that freshness ensures good texture. On top of that, they strive to balance seemingly conflicting conditions like optimal eating time and texture. In Japan, it’s not uncommon for fish caught by local fishermen to arrive at major city fish markets the same day. Some even arrive at the market still alive. So, freshness alone is something anyone can obtain.
Next, let’s look at meat. Chicken has a small body, and rigor mortis sets in quickly, within just 1 to 2 hours after death, allowing umami to develop rapidly. On the other hand, it also loses freshness quickly. Therefore, it’s safe to say that freshness is absolutely vital for chicken.
On the other hand, large animals like pork and beef require time for rigor mortis to subside, followed by maturation. The recently popular “dry aging” is a traditional method where meat is matured for about a month at 1-2°C while being exposed to airflow, resulting in tender, flavorful lean cuts. Additionally, “wet aging,” practiced in Japan for centuries, involves vacuum-sealing the meat and resting it at 0–2°C for 1–2 weeks, a method that also enhances umami.
Thus, meat isn’t necessarily more delicious the fresher it is; rather, aging increases umami components like inosinic acid, leading some to even say “some even say it tastes best when it’s on the verge of spoiling.” In other words, freshness and deliciousness don’t always go hand in hand.
In other words, the notion that “freshness equals deliciousness” isn’t always accurate; each ingredient has its own “peak flavor” period when it tastes best. What matters is not blindly trusting freshness, but understanding the characteristics of the ingredient and discerning its optimal eating window.