31
Aug
I asked another Japanese friend Why is Kobe beef so special They raise the cows politely he said. Kobe beef is from cows raised in the Hyogo Prefecture of Japan of which Kobe is the capital.
Its the same with Stilton cheese or Champagne or a few other food things.
How long do kobe beef cows live. Kobe beef refers to meat from Tajima-gyu cows certified by the Kobe Beef Distribution Promotion Council. Tajima-gyu cows the motoushi or purebred seedstock cattle have maintained a pure bloodline since the Edo period 1615 to 1867 to the present day. Protecting this lineage has also meant protecting its delicious taste and this contributes to the high cost of producing this delicacy.
Kobe beef sometimes misspelled as Colby beef comes from the Tajima-gyu breed of cattle found in Japans Hyōgo Prefecture of which Kobe is the capital and the meats namesake. Introduced as work animals in the rice cultivation industry during the 2nd Century Tajima-gyu became isolated from other breeds in the small pockets of arable land within Japans mountainous landscape. Kobe beef is from cows raised in the Hyogo Prefecture of Japan of which Kobe is the capital.
If you take a cow from there and raise it somewhere else then its no longer Kobe beef. Its the same with Stilton cheese or Champagne or a few other food things. They have to come from a certain region and calling it that name even though it was made somewhere else even if it is made these.
Kobe beef refers to meat from Tajima-gyu cows certified by the Kobe Beef Distribution Promotion Council. Tajima-gyu cows the motoushi or purebred seedstock cattle have maintained a pure bloodline since the Edo period 1615 to 1867 to the present day. Protecting this lineage has also meant protecting its delicious taste and this contributes to the high cost of producing this delicacy.
Kobe cows are all Tajima cows a rare breed of cows from Japan. That is the most important step. After they are born how they are raised and nurtured to adulthood will play a factor in how good the meat is specifically how tender and how much marbling there is in the fat.
There is a rating scale between A1-A5 for all Wagyu and Kobe Beef has to be at least an A4. The fat is a crucial factor. The marbled fat called shimofuri dissolves at low temperatures giving that melt-in-the-mouth sensation.
The fat level is ranked according to a Beef Marbling Score BMS. A BMS of 6 or above is necessary for qualification as Kobe beef Ueda says. The scale goes up to 12 but I like my cows to be around 9.
But Kobe beef from Kobe is the most famous. I asked another Japanese friend Why is Kobe beef so special They raise the cows politely he said. They brush the cows kindly and feed.
Kobe beef is from cows raised in the Hyogo Prefecture of Japan of which Kobe is the capital. If you take a cow from there and raise it somewhere else then its no longer Kobe beef. Its the same with Stilton cheese or Champagne or a few other food things.
They have to come from a certain region and calling it that name even though it was made somewhere else even if it is made these way is the illegal part. Live chat by LivePerson. The History of Kobe Beef.
Jan 8th 2005 - 054958. The History of Kobe Beef in Japan By John W. Longworth Oct 28 2004 1613.
Email this article Printer friendly page. Eating meat from four legged animals was prohibited in Japan for more than a thousand years prior to 1868. This ban was especially strict during the Edo Period 1603-1867.
Kobe beef is a special grade of beef from Wagyu cattle raised in Kobe Japan. These cattle are massaged with sake and are fed a daily diet that includes large amounts of beer. This produces meat that is extraordinarily tender finely marbled and full-flavored.
It is also extremely expensive often costing more than 100 per pound. Because of the high cost and increasing demand there are now some Kobe-style beef. How can you be certain if the Kobe beef youre being served is genuine.
The most obvious indicator is price. Kobe beef retails for around 200 per pound at its lowest price so a place claiming to serve a cheaper Kobe steak is almost certainly lying. Also look closely at the menu.
Many of them will tell you where the beef comes from and specify Hyogo as the origin if it is authentic. Kobe beef comes from Tajima-gyu cattle and has to go through rigorous screenings and checks to ensure that it is proper Kobe beef. Firstly the cow itself must be a purebred Japanese Black steer castrated bull or virgin cow from the Tajima-gyu lineage.
The animal must be born and raised exclusively in the Hyogo Prefecture of Japan and can only be fed grains and grasses from that prefecture. The slaughtering has to be done within the prefecture as well and the cow. Living in Kobe and what you should do other than eat beef.
Just a little to the southwest of Kyoto and west of Osaka Kobe is a beautiful port town bordered by some mountains to the north and west and the sea to the south. As for living in Kobe its a bit more than eating the world-famous beef although thats pretty good too. The Oak Door and Kobe Plaisir in Kobe City both made my year-end list of 15 Most Memorable Meals of 2013 I traveled to Tokyo to do a story.
Cooking Light talks about the benefits of moving cows off pasture to US. Feedlots to get them to slaughter weight faster but speed isnt the goal with Kobe beef. Beef is fed for 16 to 18 months according to NPR Kobe beef is fed for at least 30 months and that extra time allows them to develop more flavorful fat.
Tajima cattle are fattened considerably longer that cattle in the United States living about 26 to 32 months compared to 18 months for US cattle. Kobe cattle are not free range or grass fed trends that are growing in the US. Market for a variety of reasons.
Densely-populated Japan doesnt have much range land and certainly not in the Kobe area. Kobe beef is highly marbled with a Beef Marbling Score BMS of 6 or more. This high marbling ratio means that Kobe is very uniformly fatty.
Other beef cattle known for fat marbling include purebred Angus. The melt-in-your-mouth texture of Kobe beef is often emphasized by slicing the beef thinly as in shabu shabu.