QandAs: Food

What is Kobe Beef?

Answer:
Mention melt-in-the-mouth steaks and I imagine cattle

coming from Texas prairies, Montana’s high mountain valleys or the plains of the Midwest, but seldom do I envision beef reared in the Land of the Rising Sun. Now, some of the best beef in the world claim Kobe, Japan as home.

Kobe is the capital city of Hyogo Prefecture, a district famous for a unique Japanese Black breed of Wagyu cattle known as Tajima-ushi. The cattle are reared using well-guarded Japanese methods, and the breed is renowned for extraordinary flavor, tenderness and fatty marbling texture enhanced by those methods.

According to legend, Kobe cattle are massaged with sake, have a diet of beer and traditional food, and are soothed with soft music. The beer supposedly stimulates their appetites, while the sake gives their coats a glossy sheen.

Though I haven’t had the pleasure of trying any, sources tell me that Kobe beef is pure luxury to the palate, and the fat of the Black breed melts like butter on the tongue. This quality accounts for the steady increase in the Black breed’s popularity.

To meet today’s demanding market, some American meat producers are raising Japanese cattle, and selling “Kobe-style” beef, with the same characteristics and qualities as the imported version. Both imported beef and the homegrown variety carry a high-end price tag and are above prime meat grade.


	more Q&A sessions like this
	What temperature should I grill steaks at? What is a Brisket? What is Aged Beef? What is Dry Rub? Where can I find restaurants near me? What is Marinating? What is Direct Heat? How do I match Wine to go with Dinner Courses? Where can I find Food and Drink Recipes? What are some Foods High in Vitamin A?