Unless you are leading a protected culinary life, you might have heard about Kobe beef. But, what you have heard is just a story or myth about this rare meat. Many rumors stating that the Kobe meat market is controlled by the Japanese mafia and the these cows can be grown only in Japan due to the special climate, etc.….. are prevailing in this field. First, before getting into the details about this meat, let us find a fundamental introduction first:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For starters, the term kobe is something derived from the city of Kobe, which is the capital of the Hyogo prefecture in the country of Japan. It is in this prefecture, where a particular breed of Wagyu cattle known as Tajima is being raised for more than 2000 years now. The fact is that Wagyu cattle was not a native of Japan and culture of this country did not start including beef in the culture a century ago.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Even though, the terms Wagyu and Kobe beef are used interchangeably, it will be surprising for most of us to learn that the true Kobe beef is not the one that is actually exported from Japan. Even though, there are four different types of Wagyu cattle, the government of Japan has strictly regulated the term ‘Kobe beef’ to Wagyu cattle that is born and slaughtered from the Hyogo Prefecture. The bad thing here is that the term is generally misused, thereby leading to a lot of confusion among consumers between these two types.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The main difference that can be seen Kobe beef recipes is that the meat has extensive marbling, taste and tenderness. Generally, the American meat comes under the category of USDA scale, but Kobe beef is not rated under this scale as it would require its own categorization. Kobe beef is rated by the Association of Japan Meat Grading from a scale A1-A5 and among these A5 is the highest grade. To get the taste and richness, Kobe beef recipes actually begin to dissolve at 770F. This means that it will literally melt when eating. This meat cannot be cooked more than rare, as it would liquefy when done in this fashion.

Nowadays, Americans can get to understand the taste of these eatables by placing orders for these meats online and they can also find good recipes to cook them as well. The tender taste of the great recipes will remain in their taste buds for several decades.