For true steak and beef connoisseurs, Wagyu Beef is a must try. Touted as the “ultimate beef,” gourmands everywhere are commenting how rich, tasty and simply perfect this piece of meat is.
Steak lovers may or may not agree but there is no denying that Wagyu Beef has become a must-try dish for foodies everywhere.
What is Wagyu Beef?
Wagyu is actually a special breed of cows. Quite literally, it means “Japanese cow or cattle.” This breed is highly prized thanks to its propensity for intense marbling. This refers to the cow’s capacity to develop intramuscular fat which when cooked allows it to be super tender and tasty. Various classifying systems per country generally regard this type of meat as top quality, thus it commands a premium price in most restaurants.
Want to find out more about this type of beef? Check out these eight interesting facts.
The Lowdown on Wagyu Beef
- The world-renowned Kobe Beef is considered the most popular type of Wagyu. This sort of Japanese beef is worshipped all across the globe, with restaurants and even organic meat delivery shops offering their own version. Thanks to its superb flavour and intense marbling, Kobe beef is regarded as one of the finest in the world.
- Apart from Kobe, there are other types of Wagyu beef. This includes the following: Matsuzaka, Fukutsuru 068 and Mishima Beef to name a few.
- Not all of them are from Japan. In fact, two of the leading suppliers of this kind of beef are Australia and the United States. American Wagyu comes from cows imported from Japan. These are also considered quite rare and treated as a luxury dish in some U.S. restaurants. Meanwhile, Australia is a primary distributor and breeder of Wagyu aside from Japan. Purebred and crossbred cattle are available in the country and distributed to markets like Hong Kong, Denmark, France and even the U.S.
- Stories of cows being fed beer; given massages or bombarded with soothing classical music is amazing but unfortunately, it’s nothing but a fairy tale for majority of the cattle breeders. The cows, however, are given special treatment to keep them relaxed and healthy. They are also offered a mixture of grains (barley, corn, soybean, wheat bran) grasses and rice straw to promote marbling as much as possible.
- Wagyu beef in Australia can be purchased online through various online butchers. There are also special organic meat delivery shops where foodies can have this valuable meat delivered to them.
- Although made up of fats, Wagyu beef only contains the good kind. Monounsaturated fats are good for the body and rich in Omega 6 and Omega 3 fatty acids.
- There are certain, special ways this kind of beef can be enjoyed. For steaks, it is advisable that they are cooked medium rare to bring out its full flavour. Because of the amount of fats it contains, they can burn easily when overcooked.
- Finally, NBA superstar Kobe Bryant is actually named after the infamous Kobe beef. He’s not pleased with his parent’s choice though as he is apparently suing the city of Kobe, Japan because of it.
Wagyu beef is truly a world-class delicacy. Enjoyed through a reliable online butcher or through an established restaurant in Japan; there is no denying this beef is worthy of special praise.
Featured images:
- License: Creative Commons image source
- License: Creative Commons image source
By Debra Wright
Debra Wright is a creative and innovative blogger and online marketing specialist. She uses her wordsmith skills to share her ideas, thoughts, and tips to other people about topics that fascinate her, such as finding facts about the food she like. Follow Debra on twitter @debrawrites…
