Wagyu is the Japanese word for “Japanese cow”. Wagyu cattle are native to Japan and are prized for their extensively marbled meat. Wagyu requires twice feed of beef cattle in the United States and must achieve a minimum weight 600 kg at shipment compare with about 400 kg for US beef.
The wagyu get a high-concentrate grain diet, mostly corn and some soy. Wagyu beef is considered to be the highest quality and commands higher prices than other domestically produced an imported beef.
Meat from wagyu cows and heifers’ carries a premium price over steer in each grade. It is highly marble beef – up to 40 percent in some cuts – makes their meat wonderful flavorful and very rich. Enzymes called
calpains, which break down and tenderize meat, are also particularly active in wagyu breeds.
The most famous is known as Kobe beef, an only a specific breed of cattle called Tajima-gyu, - born and grown in the prefecture that surround the city of Kobe.
Wagyu beef
