Technique and care that produce undeniable quality.
Superb wagyu Japanese beef comes from the special technique and the attentive care given by the producer. The term “wagyu beef cattle” refers to distinctive Japanese breeds. Wagyu beef cattle are raised to be healthy animals in well-ventilated barns spread with sawdust. They are fed with a mixture of hay and highly nutritious, safe compound feeds. Farmers who breed wagyu cattle raise them with careful attention to detail as if they were their own children, keeping a close eye on everything, including their physical condition.
The term Wagyu means Japanese beef cattle, referring to purebreds of four unique breeds: (1) Japanese Black (2) Japanese Shorthorn (3) Japanese Polled (4) and Japanese Brown.
A smooth, marbled pattern: the hallmark of flavor and quality.
A feature of wagyu beef is melt-in-the-mouth texture and a rich, luxurious taste derived from an abundance of fat. The beautiful pattern of fat through red flesh like the chuck, rib, and sirloin is termed shimofuri, or marbling. Its flavor will delight you when used in various types of cuisine. Wagyu beef is sold after inspection and grading for attributes such as meat color, texture and marbling.
The “Wagyu Mark”* is attached exclusively to authentic domestic Japanese beef to distinguish such wagyu beef quality. This mark acts as a guide when selecting delicious, high-quality, authentic wagyu beef.
（※）For more information on the “Wagyu Mark,” please visit the following URL:http://www.maff.go.jp/e/export/wagyu/
Beef containing high-quality fat that allows you to savor umami is called “shimofuri.”
With individual identification numbers, traceability applies to all Japanese beef.
(http://www.id.nlbc.go.jp/english/)
Exacting controls to deliver safe wagyu beef.
Japan implements extremely strict hygiene control over beef. With the outbreak of BSE (Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy), it began BSE testing and removal of SRM (Specified Risk Material) for all cattle in Japan, which is one of the strictest standards in the world. All domestic cattle are also registered in a database at birth with an individual identification number. With the number on domestically produced beef sold in stores, the movement of cattle, including breed and birth date, can be found on the Internet.
“The best balance of umami and tenderness”
Wherever you search in the world, you will never find a beef like wagyu, so perfectly balanced in every respect.
Thierry Voisin
(Chef, Les Saisons, Imperial Hotel, Tokyo)
http://www.maff.go.jp/e/oishii/ingredients/wagyu_japanese_beef.html