# Tuna: White or Light? Oil or Water? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 26, 2003, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tuna-white-or-light-oil-or-water/157577 "2003-02-26T05:24:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jinx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2003, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tuna-white-or-light-oil-or-water/157577/1 "2003-02-26T05:24:58Z")
My wife claims that neither Light nor White Tuna was available in water back in the 1970’s. However, I say that White came in both, but the Light only came in oil until America became more health conscious. Is that correct? What do you recall? - Jinx ---
**Author:** ![NinetyWt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/cc9497/32.png) [@NinetyWt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinetyWt)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2003, 6:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tuna-white-or-light-oil-or-water/157577/2 "2003-02-26T06:38:31Z")
Don’t remember “in water” until the 80’s. Of course, here we’re just now getting _shoes_, so , YMMV. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2003, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tuna-white-or-light-oil-or-water/157577/3 "2003-02-26T12:54:48Z")
I don’t remember. But I prefer light tuna in water. White tuna tastes too dry to me, and for either type I’d rather taste tuna than oil. ---
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2003, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tuna-white-or-light-oil-or-water/157577/4 "2003-02-26T14:42:02Z")
white tuna packed in water is my preference. It’s pricey, so once a month, hubby and I go to a local discount grocery store (well, not real local. It’s a 40 minute drive), and stock up on canned goods and such. **If** they have white tuna in water, it’s 40 cents a can! We usually buy the month’s worth then, if they have enough. If I have to buy tuna at the grocery store, I stick with the light, because it’s cheaper. ---
**Author:** ![Breezy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b3f665/32.png) [@Breezy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Breezy)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2003, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tuna-white-or-light-oil-or-water/157577/5 "2003-02-26T16:06:00Z")
I buy light in oil. I really have no preference, but for some reason this is the kind my husband prefers. And we use A TON of tuna! He likes to open a can, drain the oil and dip crackers/chips/pretzels into the tuna! (YUCK!) I usually just eat it in tuna salad, tuna cakes, or tuna casserole… ---
**Author:** ![Yorikke](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yorikke/32/4335_2.png) [@Yorikke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorikke)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2003, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tuna-white-or-light-oil-or-water/157577/6 "2003-02-26T16:22:12Z")
Tuna in oil makes me sick to my stomach. I buy whatever’s closest to $.50, sometimes it’s white, sometimes it’s light. I like to [grossout]drink the tuna water from the can, squirt in a generous amount of mustard, mix it up, and eat it with a fork. Hey, it keeps the calories to half of what it would be if mixed with mayo and put on bread, and tuna water tastes great.[/grossout] hrh ---
**Author:** ![Debaser](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3da27b/32.png) [@Debaser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Debaser)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2003, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tuna-white-or-light-oil-or-water/157577/7 "2003-02-26T19:15:11Z")
I only buy those new sealed pouches of tuna. It’s great, but expensive. However, it’s worth it IMHO to not get gross tuna all over my hands when preparing it. No water to drain, and better quality tuna. ---
**Author:** ![AntaresJB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c2a13f/32.png) [@AntaresJB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AntaresJB)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2003, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tuna-white-or-light-oil-or-water/157577/8 "2003-02-26T19:18:30Z")
Since I was born in 1983, I can’t say I really recall much of anything. I can say that tuna in oil is disgusting. Eww eww eww. My mother accidentally bought me tuna in oil once and I couldn’t even eat it like that, I basically drained as much of the oil off as I could and then stuck the tuna in a bowl and rinsed the hell out of it (lost quite a bit of tuna that way) until it wasn’t slimy anymore. Eww eww eww. ---
**Author:** ![Yorikke](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yorikke/32/4335_2.png) [@Yorikke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorikke)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2003, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tuna-white-or-light-oil-or-water/157577/9 "2003-02-26T19:40:12Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by AntaresJB \* > \*\*My mother accidentally bought me tuna in oil once and I couldn’t even eat it like that, I basically drained as much of the oil off as I could and then stuck the tuna in a bowl and rinsed the hell out of it (lost quite a bit of tuna that way) until it wasn’t slimy anymore. Eww eww eww. \*\* Yeah, I’ve done that before. I really don’t understand how people can eat it in oil, but there are certainly more people who can’t understand how I can drink the tuna water… hrh ---
**Author:** ![porcupine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ac91a4/32.png) [@porcupine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/porcupine)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2003, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tuna-white-or-light-oil-or-water/157577/10 "2003-02-26T19:49:37Z")
“drink the tuna water” sounds like a euphemism for… sumfin. Anyway, I prefer white albacore in water. I don’t mind the oil because of the fat content (I eat a low carb diet, after all) but I generally just don’t like the taste of the oil. I don’t remember seeing tuna packed in water until the late 80s. ---
**Author:** ![Yorikke](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yorikke/32/4335_2.png) [@Yorikke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorikke)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2003, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tuna-white-or-light-oil-or-water/157577/11 "2003-02-26T20:30:57Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by porcupine \* > \*\*“drink the tuna water” sounds like a euphemism for… sumfin. > \*\* Yeah, I do that too…😛 hrh