What Is Wagyu
Wagyu (和牛), in Japanese, directly translates to Japanese (wa) Beef (gyuu) and is famous for being some of the most delicious beef in the world. There are four breeds of Japanese beef cattle that produce wagyu beef: Japanese Black (Kuroge), Japanese Polled (Mukaku), Japanese Brown (Akage), and Japanese Shorthorn (Tankaku). The breeds aren’t allowed to be crossbred in Japan; however in other countries, like America some Japanese cattle have been bred with other breeds.
The biggest difference between wagyu and other beef is the high intra-muscular fat cells described as marbling. The fat between muscle is very tender and is one of the biggest reasons wagyu is so delicious. In America, USDA grades its highest quality of beef, prime beef, as having 6-8% of marbled fat. Compared to top quality wagyu, which is around 20-25% marbled fat, prime beef seems quite lean.
Branding by Location
In Japan, wagyu is branded based on location. You may have heard of Kobe beef before which is from the Hyogo prefecture. Technically it’s even more specific than that though as Kobe beef needs to meet a long list of criteria set forth by the Kobe Beef Marketing and Distribution Promotion Association. The list includes:
- Tajima strain of Japanese Black cattle born in Hyogo Prefecture
- Farm fed in Hyogo Prefecture
- Slaughtered and Processed in Kobe, Nishinomiya, Sanda, Himeji, or Kakogawa
- Marbling ratio of level 6 or higher
Those are just some of the requirements needed to earn the official Kobe beef label. All of that hard work culminates to create some pretty amazing and expensive beef. Only about 3,000 or so cattle meet the requirements needed to be labeled Kobe beef per year.
There are over 200 different brands of wagyu in Japan. The three most famous are Kobe from Hyogo Prefecture, Matsusaka from Mie Prefecture, and Ohmi from Shiga Prefecture. All three of which are from the Kansai region and made from a sub-species of the Japanese Black cattle called Tajima.
Even though Kobe is probably the most famous, it’s not necessarily the best. In actuality, many consider Matsusaka to be the best wagyu money can buy. Even then, with 200 brands of different wagyu there is a huge variety to try, all with their own unique flavor profile.
Different Grades (C1-A5)
The brand of wagyu is not the only determining factor. The other aspect of the classification is called grading. All Japanese wagyu beef is graded by the Japanese Meat Grading Association. Their job is to determine the yield and quality of the animal. The absolute top grade is A5. With the ‘A’ determined by the yield and the 5 being determined by five different qualities of the meat. The yield ranges from C to A and the quality ranges from 1-5.
The entire animal’s grade is determined by inspecting the meat between the 6th and 7th rib. The yield is determined by looking at the ratio of the weight of the animal carcass to the weight of the meat. 72% Yield or higher is an A, 69% – 72% is a B, and anything below 69% is a C. The quality is determined by the Beef Marbling Score, Beef Fat Standard, Beef Color Standard, firmness and texture.
To be graded 5 overall, all five of the above qualities need to be grade 5. This means that obtaining the grade of A5 wagyu beef is truly something special and you can be assured that a piece of the A5 wagyu will be top quality and probably very expensive.
That also means that you shouldn’t be surprised if when visiting Japan you see some wagyu beef on a skewer for only 700 yen. While it’s probably still delicious, it’s also probably not A5 wagyu. If you do decide you want to try A5 wagyu in Japan, make sure you do your research beforehand. A good rule of thumb is that if it’s not expensive, then it’s probably not A5 wagyu!
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