Wagyu

Wagyu, slow-growing Japanese cattle breed prized for its tender, flavorful, and highly marbled meat. Evidence suggests that the genetic origins of the breed date back thousands of years. Modern Wagyu cattle are crosses between Japanese Wagyu and cattle that were imported from England, continental Europe, and Korea. It is also the breed of the celebrated Kobe beef, which has the distinction of being the most expensive beef in the world. Kobe beef originally hailed from the Hyōgo prefecture (of which Kōbe is the capital). Because of the high value of the meat and its reputation, the Wagyu industry is strictly regulated, especially in Japan and also in the United States and Australia, where more-recent commercial markets for the meat have developed. Only beef from Japan may be labeled Japanese Wagyu or Kobe beef.

Types, characteristics, and care

There are four types of Wagyu recognized in Japan: Kuroge (Black, from Miyazaki prefecture), Nihon Tankaku (Shorthorn, from Hokkaido, Iwate, Akita, and Aomori prefectures), Mukaku (Polled, from Yamaguchi prefecture), and Akage (Brown [or Red], from Kumamoto and Kōchi prefectures). Because of geographic and regional isolation, the four types developed somewhat independently of one another. Japanese Black is the most common, forming roughly 90 percent of Japanese Wagyu strains. The term Wagyu is more broadly applied in North America and Australia, where the Wagyu industries rely mainly on Wagyu-Angus crosses.

Regardless of strain, Wagyu are generally even-tempered, docile cattle that are naturally horned and black or red. Bulls are larger than cows, the males commonly reaching 940 kg (about 2,000 pounds). Cows stand roughly 1.2 meters (4 feet) tall, whereas bulls stand about 15 cm (6 inches) taller.

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Part of the reason that Wagyu beef commands such a high price is because of the animals’ long, natural, slow growth and high level of care. The animals are fed two to three times a day, the meals consisting of various combinations of grain, hay, and wheat—all particularly high-energy, high-cost ingredients that are commonly imported. In Japan, Wagyu cattle are typically raised on small farms and receive individualized and sometimes ritualized attention to create a stress-free environment. Some farmers go as far as massaging their animals, which does promote their relaxation but likely has little direct impact on the quality of the meat. This is sometimes done to loosen up the animals’ muscles in the cold winter months. Stories of farmers feeding their animals beer to stimulate their appetites and increase the marbling of the meat are likely false or based on an occasional practice by a minority of farmers. It is possible that such tales arose from a misunderstanding or mistranslation of the sporadic custom of some farmers of mixing a byproduct of the sake-making process with feed as a supplement. Some genetic conditions and mutations have also been noted, making the breed susceptible to certain diseases, including bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or mad cow disease.

History of the breed

Before the Meiji Restoration in Japan in 1868, cattle were raised as draft animals, valued for their muscular builds, endurance, and strength. Beef (as well as meat from other four-legged animals) was rarely eaten, if not outright forbidden. After 1872, however, when the emperor broke with tradition and consumed beef, people began to incorporate it—and other Western foodstuffs—into their diets. This led to a wave of importation of cattle for crossbreeding, including the Devon, Holstein, and Angus breeds. By 1910, however, this had resulted in diminished meat quality, and Japan ceased to allow the import or export of cattle so that the focus would be on selecting and intra-breeding improvements. In 1944 Japan established three registered improved strains of Wagyu cattle, and a fourth was added in 1957. (See also animal breeding.)

The first four Japanese Wagyu bulls were imported to the United States in the mid-1970s. When Japan deregulated beef importation in 1991, there were about 60 Wagyu-Angus crosses in the U.S. About that same time, Wagyu embryos and genetic material were exported to Australia from the U.S., touching off the Wagyu industry in that country.

The next shipment of Wagyu cattle did not arrive in the U.S. until 1993, and in 1997 the first live animals reached Australia from Japan. That same year, Japan ceased to allow Wagyu exportation. By then a total of 180 cattle had been exported to the U.S. In the early 21st century, American Wagyu cattle number about 40,000 animals. Australian Wagyu cattle, the biggest population outside Japan, consists of roughly 300,000 animals. In both countries an animal must be a certain percentage (usually about 50 percent) of Wagyu in order to be labeled as such. An animal must be 15/16 Wagyu to be considered purebred; a 100 percent Wagyu animal is considered full-blooded. There are no Japanese Shorthorn or Polled Wagyu cattle being bred outside Japan.

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Wagyu beef

In Japan, Wagyu cattle are typically processed at 30 months of age, at about 910 kg (about 2,000 pounds). The Japanese Black is the largest strain at that age, and the Mukaku is the smallest. In both Australia and the U.S. the animals may be processed sooner, but the average time is still usually at least double the typical six-month feedlot stay for other beef cattle breeds.

Selective breeding of Wagyu animals encouraged the development of cattle with high intramuscular fat stores. This concentration of fat—often more than 30 percent in Japanese Black Wagyu—is what gives Wagyu beef its trademark marbling, the white streaks of fat running through the meat. Wagyu beef has also been shown to contain up to 300 percent more monounsaturated fat than beef from other breeds. This type of fat melts at a lower temperature, contributing to Wagyu’s buttery, fork-tender texture. The beef also contains 30 percent more conjugated linoleic acid per gram, an amount comparable to that found in salmon or avocados. Most Wagyu meat receives consistently high scores on each country’s meat-grading chart, though the standards vary broadly between the U.S., Japan, and Australia.

Depending on the cut, Wagyu can fetch anywhere from $15 per pound (for ground beef) to $300 per pound (for prime rib) in the U.S. Prices in Australia and Japan are comparable, the top-graded (A5) Wagyu commanding more than 4,000 yen ($28) per ounce in Japan. Top-grade Kobe beef may cost double that, solidifying Wagyu’s place as a luxury gourmet product. As it is now exported and sold in more than 30 countries, issues have arisen regarding the labeling, distribution, and potential misrepresentation of the beef at restaurants and markets.