Kobe beef

Kobe beef

Kobe beef (神戸ビーフ, Kōbe Bīfu^?) refers to beef from the black Tajima-ushi breed of Wagyu cattle, raised according to strict tradition in Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. Kobe beef is renowned for its flavour, tenderness, and fatty well-marbled texture. Kobe beef can be prepared as steak, sukiyaki, shabu shabu, sashimi, teppanyaki and more.

Kobe beef is also called "Kobe-niku" (神戸肉^?, lit. Kobe meat), "Kobe-gyū" (神戸牛^?, lit Kobe cow) or "Kobe-ushi" (神戸牛^?, lit Kobe cow) in Japanese.^[1].

History

The Wagyu cattle that produce the highly prized meat were introduced into Japan in the second century as work animals, used in rice cultivation. The mountainous topography of the islands of Japan resulted in small regions of isolated breeding, yielding herds that developed and maintained qualities in their meat that differ significantly from all other breeds of cattle. Resulting herd isolation and the distinctive feeding techniques put in place because of the limited land availability have lead to distinguishing features that make the meat both superior in marbling and in the ratios of unsaturated versus saturated fats.

Original Kobe beef

Kobe beef in Japan is registered trademark by Kobe beef distribution promotion conference.^[2] It must fulfill all the conditions as follows:^[3]

• Tajima cattle born in Hyōgo Prefecture
• Fed by farm in Hyōgo Prefecture
• Bullock or Virgin cow, meant to purify the beef
• Processed at slaughterhouse in Kobe, Nishinomiya, Sanda, Kakogawa and Himeji in Hyōgo Prefecture.
• Marbling ratio called BMS^[4] is level 6 and above.
• Meat Quality Score^[4] is A or B
• Gross weight of beef is 470 kg or below.

In accordance with popular belief, the cattle are fed a beer a day, and they are massaged with sake daily and brushed for setting fur, and fed on grain fodder.^[5][6][7][8] A Kobe beef distribution promotion conference plans to make a pamphlet in foreign languages detailing Kobe beef due to the ambiguation of what actually constitutes Kobe beef, and the fact many tourists who visit Japan receive incorrect information.^[9]

"Kobe-style" beef

The massive increase in popularity of Kobe beef in the United States has led to the creation of "Kobe-style" beef, taken from domestically-raised Wagyu crossbred with Angus cattle, in order to meet the demand. Farms in America and Britain have attempted to replicate the Kobe traditions, providing their Wagyu herds beer and daily massages with warm sake.^[10] U.S meat producers claim that any differences between their less expensive "Kobe-style" beef and true Kobe beef are largely cosmetic.^[11] The cattle are fed American and/or British grass and grain, which is different from the more expensive Japanese feed.^[7] Cuts of American "Kobe-style" beef tend to have darker meat and bolder flavor.^[12]

After all beef imports into Japan from the USA were banned on September 10, 2001, due to the discovery of Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), commonly known as Mad-Cow Disease (MCD),^[13] many retailers began to heavily market the U.S. raised beef as "Kobe-style". The ban on the import of Wagyu beef from the United States ended on December 12, 2005.^[14]

See also

• Mishima beef
• Matsusaka beef
• Yonezawa beef

References

External links

• (Japanese) Kobe beef distribution promotion conference
• The History of Kobe Beef in Japan
• The Real Beef on Kobe Beef