Vagyu Beef Features

Japanese cuisine is becoming more and more popular every year, and if earlier Russians’s acquaintance with food from the Land of the Rising Sun was limited to different types of sushi, now you can try even more refined dishes. One of such typically Japanese delicatessen products is Vagyu beef, which so far is little known to Russians. Therefore it is worth considering the features of this type of meat and its production technology.

Until the VII century, Japan, in terms of eating beef, differed little from other countries of the world.In 675, the emperor Tammu, inspired by the postulates of Buddhism, issued a decree forbidding the use of meat from cows, domestic animals, and even monkeys. The strictness of observance of the ban by ordinary Japanese weakened with time, but the industrial technology of raising cows for slaughter in the country was not created at that time.

With the appearance of Christians in Japan in the 16th century, eating beef gradually became popular again. Initially, the government tried to fight this by issuing a second decree banning the killing of cows, but by the end of the XIX century (namely in 1872), it was nevertheless canceled. Since then, the country began to actively develop beef production.

During the years of the ban cows were used in the country only for the transport of goods and not imported from other countries. Centuries of isolation have led to the fact that a special breed of cows has been formed in the country, which has received the name "Vagyu", which is translated from Japanese quite simply - "Japanese cow". The meat of these cows was distinguished by a special tenderness, which led to the release of this beef in a special variety.

In Japan, about Vagyu beef is often said that a person does not necessarily need teeth in order to eat it. Indeed, the key feature of the Japanese product is superintense marbling. This means that if ordinary marble meat is a layer of meat, separated by layers of fat, then Japanese marble beef, in fact, is a layer of fat with thin layers of meat. This structure gives the product an extraordinary softness, tenderness, richness and unique taste.

Another difference of this product is a unique smell with characteristic sweet notes of coconut or peach, appearing during chewing pieces of this meat. It appears due to the peculiarities of the ration of cows serving for the production of Japanese beef, and is absolutely uncharacteristic for its other varieties.

In the Land of the Rising Sun, the product is classified by the region in which it is manufactured:

• Kobe;
• Kumano;
• Kumamoto;
• Mishima;
• Oomi;
• Sanda

Kobe beef has the highest fat content and marbling, and therefore is considered the elite, even among other types of Vagyu. After the cutting, each piece of Kobe goes through several stages of verification and certification, and if it meets the highest requirements, it receives a special unique seal. Sold such high-quality meat at a special auction.

In addition to the region of origin, each batch of beef is estimated in the country according to the following parameters:

• degree of marbling;
• meat color;
• fat color;
• texture.

Each of these parameters is rated on a scale from 1 to 5 points. As a result, the party receives an overall quality rating for the lowest of these points.

Each carcass is rated with the letters A, B or C depending on the ratio of the weight of meat suitable for sale and the total weight of the carcass, while A is the highest score and C is the lowest. Sometimes the world classification of marbling is applied to the delicacy (in descending order of fat content):

• Prime - the highest degree of marbling;
• Choice;
• Select;
• Standart;
• Commercial;
• Utility;
• Cutter - this and the following categories are usually processed into semi-finished products;
• Canner.

Despite the high content of fat, Japanese marble meat is almost the most useful of all beef varieties, including much less fat. This effect is achieved due to the fact that the majority of its fat belongs to the group of monounsaturated, which are best absorbed by man and have a positive effect on his health. In addition, the delicacy is rich in unsaturated fatty acids (namely, Omega-3 and Omega-6), as well as linoleic and stearic acids.These substances are remarkable in that they belong to the group of fats, practically do not increase cholesterol in the blood.

Despite the rich fat composition, the calorie content of this beef is relatively low - about 200 kcal per 100 g of product.

This Vagyu is made from the meat of only four breeds of cows:

• Japanese black, from which almost 90% of this product is produced;
• Japanese brown, which has a lower amount of fat in the pulp;
• Japanese Shorthorn, whose meat is also characterized by reduced fat content;
• Japanese hornless, whose meat is not very fat, but it has a rich taste.

At the same time, in order that the product could be called “Vagyu”, it is not enough to make it from these breeds of animals. The technology of its production is markedly different from that adopted for other meats. Due to the lack of pastures, historically, cows in Japan spent very little time in free grazing, most of their life being in enclosed spaces.

This limited their mobility and led to a decrease in appetite. Therefore, in order to fatten their livestock, farmers had to artificially induce animals' appetite by including alcoholic beverages (usually beer) in their diets. And so that an insufficient number of walks did not affect the quality of meat, the Japanese had to massage the cows.

Currently, the traditional approach to the production of this delicacy has been preserved, only the technologies have changed. The main features of the Japanese marble meat production method are:

• fattening up to 400 days in grain;
• the inclusion in the diet of beer or sake;
• limited mobility of the animal;
• regular massage.

Manually, these procedures are performed only in small farms. In large-scale production, beer is fed to cows through hoses, massage is performed by automation, and mobility is limited by hanging the animal above the ground.

Despite the fact that the present Vagyu can be made exclusively in Japan, in many countries of the world production of beef is established, which is close to this delicacy both in taste and in composition. This is achieved through the use of similar production technologies. At the same time, adult cows are rarely imported from Japan - usually either fertilized eggs or the seed of manufacturing bulls are usually purchased. This leads to the fact that cows are not pure breeds, but half-breeds, as raw materials for the “non-Japanese Vagu”.

But the delicacy produced outside the Land of the Rising Sun, often turns out to be cheaper than the original. The production of analogues of Japanese marble beef is commercially established in Australia, the USA, Ukraine and the EU countries.

This delicacy can be cooked according to recipes for ordinary beef - for example, steaks are very tasty. At the same time, additional ingredients can prevent you from enjoying the exquisite taste and texture of this meat. Best of all will help emphasize the taste of the product a small amount of pepper and other spices. And as a side dish you can serve with this dish fresh vegetable sliced ​​or grilled vegetables.

In the next video you are waiting for the preparation of Vagu marble beef in Japan.