Wagyu beef

What characterizes wagyu beef

It contains a very high level of healthy fats (monounsaturated), which form a dense network, similar to a cobweb and popularly called "marbling", "marbling", or more colloquially "marbling". It is the threads of white fat contained in the meat that make it exceptionally tasty, tender and juicy, thanks to which it literally melts in the mouth after thermal processing.Skąd bierze się legendarna marmurkowość wołowiny wagyu.

Where does the legendary marbling of wagyu beef come from?

The genetics of this breed of cattle make it very easy to set fat with proper nutrition and breeding (minimum 600 days of intensive opsau grain fed). In the breeding process, livestock producers use special tools for genetic evaluation of a given individual to select those animals that have the greatest potential for fattening and concentrate efforts on these animals to achieve the best yields from production. It is a very simple mechanism. They get the highest prices for the highest quality cattle, so they take exceptional care of their animals. The quality of beef is influenced not only by perfect genetic adaptation. It is also greatly influenced by the tradition of production, the combination of the right climate, feed and care. All these factors translate into the taste, texture and quality of the meat. In order to determine the marbling, a scale ranging from 0 to 9+ was developed, where 0 is the lowest and 9+ is the highest and most valuable.Where does the Wagyu race come from?

The Wagyu cattle breed originated in Japan, and the word "Wagyu" means "Japanese cow" (Wa means Japanese and gyu means cow). The term groups the top four breeds of cattle in Japan:

Wagyu: Kuroge Washu

Mukaku Washu

Akage Washu

Nihon Tankaku Washu

All of the above-mentioned breeds present fantastic genetics, and in the right breeding conditions, the product desired by the greatest beef gourmets around the world is obtained. Japanese beef is very expensive, and as a result, Australians and Americans, as well as many other breeders in other countries, have decided to develop local production. However, the Japanese want the product to be as exclusive as possible. That is why they are reluctant to share the genetics of their cattle, and the semen of a good thoroughbred bull reaches astronomical amounts, if it is allowed to go beyond the borders of the country of the rising sun.

It is also common for beef from Japan to be referred to as Kobe beef. Well, it is the name of the meat produced from the Wagyu breed, however, in the region called Kobe. It's like the colloquial term for all sparkling white wines is champagne, and this name refers only to the production of the drink in the French province of Champagne.Wagyu outside of Japan

In the years 1976-1997, about 225 live cattle of this breed were exported from Japan. Their descendants have successfully created a new variety of "Wagyu", which is close to the Japanese, but not quite the same breed. This is because in 1997, the Japanese government officially declared the Wagyu a national treasure and banned the further export of live animals and genetic copies. The descendants of these original 225 individuals are considered "thoroughbred wagyu". The females were re-inseminated with whole blood, keeping the whole blood line alive. Thoroughbred cattle are extremely rare and very expensive. Thoroughbred cattle must be genetically screened through DNA testing to prove they are genetically related to cattle born and raised in Japan. This is regulated by the American Wagyu Association in the USA and similar organizations in other countries.

Who is the most significant producer after Japan

The Australian Wagyu Breeders Association was founded on February 1, 1989. The main objectives of the Association at that time were to register and classify Australian-bred cattle of this breed, to inform breeders and consumers of beef on nutritional quality, to provide members of the Association with information and research on the breed, and to increase the number of members of the Association and to register cattle. Australia has established a world-class herd, the largest outside of Japan, based on the three main black strains from the Tajima, Fujioshi and Kedaka regions, as well as the two red strains Kochi and Kumamoto. Australian Wagyu beef exports were limited to Japan in the 1990s, but now extend to many countries in Asia, Europe, the Middle East and the US. Today, more than 90% of beef is exported to a variety of premium international markets.