Kobe Beef

Wagyu is not always Kobe

Wagyu simply means Japanese cattle. Kobe beef is a small, protected part of that world: beef from the Tajima strain of Japanese Black cattle, born, raised and processed in Hyogo Prefecture around the port city of Kobe, under rules set by the Kobe Beef Marketing and Distribution Promotion Association.

The association was formed in 1983 to define and protect the name. In Japan, Kobe beef is a registered trademark, and only meat that meets every rule may carry it.

The rules

To qualify, the animal must be a Tajima heifer or steer born in Hyogo, fed on farms in the prefecture and processed at approved slaughterhouses there. The meat must reach a marbling level, called BMS, of 6 or higher, a meat quality score of 4 or 5 and a yield grade of A or B.

There is even a weight limit: the carcass must weigh 499.9 kilograms or less. Because of these conditions, only about 3,000 head of cattle qualify each year.

Marbling and melting point

Kobe beef is famous for fine streaks of fat running through the muscle, called marbling. The fat has a lower melting point than ordinary beef fat, so it begins to soften at close to body temperature, which gives the meat its rich, tender texture.

Because it is so rich, Kobe beef is often served in small portions, seared on a teppanyaki griddle or sliced thin, rather than as a huge steak.

Marbling is graded by comparing a cut surface of the meat with standard reference cards. The Japanese beef marbling standard runs from 1 to 12, and Kobe beef needs at least 6. Other factors, such as the colour and brightness of the meat, the firmness and texture, and the colour and quality of the fat, are also graded.

How to know it is real

Every animal in Japan is tracked by an individual number, and genuine Kobe beef comes with a certificate showing that number. Certified meat is marked with a stamp of the nojigiku, a wild chrysanthemum that is the flower of Hyogo.

Exports outside Japan are small. After a ban on Japanese beef imports, the United States relaxed the rules in August 2012, and since then certified Kobe beef has been available in a limited number of American restaurants that are registered with the association.

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