Introduction
Kobe beef is meat that comes from Wagyu cattle in the Kobe region of Japan. The Wagyu breed of cattle is recognized by most international authorities on beef quality as being the breed which produces the highest quality meat in the world.[1] In a manner similar to other protected appellations in food and wine production, the term Kobe can only be applied to beef which is finished in Kobe, Japan. The high quality cattle have been exported from Japan and introduced to breeders around the world, with the greatest degree of success in breeding and maintenance of the quality and integrity of the breed being obtained in the United States, followed by Australia.[1,4] The remarkable flavor and tenderness of the meat, when properly prepared, allow it to command asking prices of over $200 per pound for the highest grades.
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.[1,3] 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.[10] In 1635 the Shogun restricted all importation of cattle along; with the famous travel restrictions that were put into place.[1,3] From 1868 until 1910 importation of foreign cattle was legally allowable, but was limited in practice. Following 1910 the ban on cattle importation was reinstituted.[6] The breed was initially introduced into the United States in 1976, in the form of two Tottori Black Wagyu and two Kumamoto Red Wagyu bulls, which were then interbred with Angus cattle. [6] Between 1993 and 1994 38 additional purebred Wagyu were introduced into the US. [6] Breeding programs took advantage of the naturally high fecundity of the Wagyu, yielding a significant growth in the population by the turn of the century.
Importation
The emergence of the prion driven[7] and incurable disorder of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), commonly referred to as Mad Cow Disease, led to Japan instituting a ban on the importation of American beef in December of 2003, although no beef imported into Japan had tested positive. The ban was subsequently lifted in December of 2005 with the specification that no brain or vertebral matter was to be included in the shipments.[12] BSE is rooted in the brain and spinal tissue, which is why this specification was made. In December of 2006 the ban was again reinstated. The US counter banned imports of Japanese beef which led to growing development of Kobe style beef raised in the US. As of January 2009 bans on both sides against beef imports have been rescinded. Japanese importers now take advantage of the lower prices of American beef and are importing cattle which are less than 20 months of age. Wagyu cattle breed in the US are also being imported into Kobe and consequently meet the guidelines for
Kobe beef. The demand for American beef is high in Japan, with an annual $1.7 billion in imports prior to the series of bans, while the imports to the US from Japan were limited to under $1 million annually.[12] These numbers will likely be mirrored in current imports.
Breed
The Wagyu themselves are subdivided into five major breeds, the Japanese Black is the breed which is raised in Kobe.[2,3] Kobe style beef in other regions can be raised with any of the five Wagyu breeds, whose most marked differences are in their coats. The breed does not exhibit horns, a trait unusual in cattle. The most significant difference between Wagyu and the Kobe and Kobe style meats derived from them compared to other breeds of cattle is the type of fat present in the meat and the distribution of that fat. The presence of significant ratios of oleaginous fat versus saturated fat and the high percentage of both Omega 3 fatty acids and Omega 6 fatty acids, combined with an evenness in marbling unmatched in any other cattle, yields a meat that is not only significantly more tender and flavorful but also much lower in cholesterol and saturated fat than the meat of other breeds of cattle.[10] The fats in Wagyu also have a significantly lower melting point, 7 degrees Celsius; which means the fat literally melts in the mouth.[11]
Wagyu vs Kobe
As is the case with all other food and wine products that are appellation protected, there are differences between Wagyu and Kobe. The term Wagyu is the name of the breed of cattle from which the beef is obtained, and the quality of this breed is the highest of any cattle. The term Kobe specifically refers to the region in Japan from which Kobe beef comes. Other appellations in Japan have similar reputations for the quality of their Wagyu beef and Kobe style beef that is produced outside of Japan is recognized as being of such a superior quality to other beef that producers use the Japanese scale to rate their meat. The breed has had over 1800 years to develop the qualities for which it is famous and those qualities are being passed on to future generations of cattle. The unique gene that is in part responsible for the quality of the marbling has also been isolated and identified as thyroglobulin on chromosome 14, so science has found one of the causes for the superiority of the meat.[5]
Raising
The methods used in raising the cattle do everything in order to maximize the innate qualities that exist in the breed. The cattle are fattened or finished significantly longer than those that are destined for the meat departments of most supermarkets. Where cattle yielding meat that will be graded as choice or select by the USDA are fattened for 120 days, Wagyu are fattened for a minimum of 300 and up to 600. [2] The lean to fat ratio is further enhanced to take advantage of the natural predisposition to superior marbling by the use of only four components of feed; corn, alfalfa, barley and wheat; and by allowing no use of hormones, antibiotics or animal by products in the feed. [10]
Quality and service
The techniques used in raising the animals yield meat that is vastly superior to that of typical beef. Roughly 90% of the Wagyu beef raised as American Kobe Style is rated as USDA Prime, while for all other breeds combined the proportion that meet the high quality standard for Prime is only 2%.[2,5] The Japanese scale for judging the quality of the meat is essentially 12 levels within the USDA Prime category. The all natural vegetarian diet that is free from all additives and animal by products, combined with the proclivity to even, snowy marbling, results in a lean to fat ratio that is significantly superior to other breeds.[10] The tenderness of the meat and the richness of the flavor evoke comparisons to foie gras. Preparation of the meat must be done allowing for the unique characteristics, especially relating to the types of fat present in the meat. While the beef typically available in American supermarkets contains high proportions of saturated fat and can be cooked more slowly and for longer periods these techniques destroy the qualities so highly prized in Kobe and Kobe style beef. The higher proportion of unsaturated fats means that the meat is ideally served raw to rare. It is the ideal choice for steak Tartare, beef Carpaccio and very rare steaks. The perfect technique for a steak of Kobe style beef is to heat a cast iron pan until it is extremely hot and then only sear the outside of the steak, leaving the perfectly marbled center a ruby red and snowy white.[9] Long cooking times will result in the succulent fat that distinguishes the high quality of the meat melting, with all of the flavor and tenderness remaining in the pan, rather than on the plate.
