Wagyu beef is some of the finest meat on the planet, but do the cows that produce the meat require massages?
To put it simply, there’s no one simple answer to this question – some farmers do massage their Wagyu cows, others say it’s a total myth. It does happen, but it isn’t mandatory, and there’s very little evidence to suggest it’s even beneficial.
Read on to learn more about Wagyu beef, how it’s produced, and why it’s so expensive.
Just About The Best Beef You Can Buy
There are many expensive delicacies in the world, such as caviar, bluefin tuna, and abalone. They tend to be rare, difficult to obtain, or intensely delicious, all of which contribute towards the massive cost for these foods.
Predominantly, the rarest and most expensive foods originate in the ocean – the three items we’ve named above all fit within this category. However, there are items found on land that carry a comparable value, such as truffles.
More often than not, if something can be grown or farmed, it loses value somewhat, owing to the lack of rarity. This essentially rules out vegetables, fruits, and most meats.
However, there is one particular type of meat that effectively breaks the bank and commands a massive price on the open market.
This meat is Wagyu beef, a sumptuous, exquisite, and sought-after beef that originated in Japan some two-thousand years ago. When translated, Wagyu literally means Japanese cattle, but there’s much more to the story than that.
The legacy of Wagyu is storied and riddled with myth and mystery. In the culinary world, there have been many rumors of strange goings-on that contribute to the quality and intense taste of Wagyu beef.
For example, there have been suggestions that Wagyu cows are fed beer and rice wine, serenaded with classical music, or massaged. Confusingly, all of these rumors and none of these rumors are true.
There are farmers who certainly feed their Wagyu cows beer, and there are some who regularly massage their cows, but this isn’t a given fact or mandatory requirement. It’s said that the more relaxed the cow is, the better the meat it will produce.
However, there’s very little scientific evidence that suggests these practices do yield finer meat. It’s true that farmers massage cows that don’t roam freely to relax their muscles, but it isn’t to ‘soften the meat’.
Exquisitely Expensive
Ultimately, Wagyu beef is mostly popular because of the distribution of fat within the meat itself. It’s unique and offers a marvelous taste when prepared properly.
This information forms the foundation of most Wagyu rumors, as farmers compete amongst each other to produce the fattiest meat. Reportedly, beer will heighten the appetite of a cow, meaning it eats more, and as a result, puts on more weight.
However, that’s another half-myth that isn’t backed up by scientific research.
Whatever the process behind the production of Wagyu beef is, it certainly works. The end result is meat that smells, looks, and tastes exquisite – and runs up a massive bill.
An article in CNBC followed a writer as he explored a rare ‘Olive Wagyu’ steak, an ‘A5’, top-tier cut of meat that is exceedingly hard to buy.
The sixteen-ounce, thick-cut steak cost two-hundred and forty dollars and is reportedly considered the best kind of Wagyu. These cows are raised on a specific island in Japan and fed primarily on the byproducts of olive oil production.
It’s these byproducts that fatten the cattle and offer a unique and remarkable distribution of fat within the meat.
In this article, the writer explains that the meat was literally ‘melt-in-the-mouth’ quality, and was reminiscent of Foie Gras. He also highlighted that eating the Wagyu was more of an ‘experience’ than it was a simple meal.
It might seem a little bizarre that such hysteria can surround something as simple as meat, but it’s for good reason. This beef can cost around two-hundred dollars a pound, and a single steak as much as three-hundred dollars.
Although other countries have worked to produce their own variants of Wagyu, it remains a fact that true Wagyu can only come from Japan. There are farmers in the United States, Australia, and even the United Kingdom who try and mimic the meat, but critics always say Japanese is best.
So, while you can try Wagyu in steakhouses across the United States, make sure that if you do, you can verify that it originated in Japan.