Due to the special diet, regular sunbathing, and alcohol massages, Matsusaka beef has a fatty taste and melts right on the tip of the tongue.
Japan has 3 famous types of beef are Kobe, Omi and Matsusaka. Among them, Matsusaka is the most expensive and according to many Japanese, it is of outstanding quality.
In 2002, a cow was sold for a record 50 million yen (more than 10 billion dong). With its unique nutritional content and marbled fat, Matsusaka beef has a fatty taste and melts right on the tip of the tongue.
From a 600 kg cow, only about 10 kg of premium tenderloin can be obtained used for a steak. Photo: JNTO.
Matsusaka beef is native to the quiet, pristine Matsusaka region of Mie Prefecture. Here, the cows of the black Japanese breed, or Kuro Wagyu, are taken care of. Cows are raised until about 12 months of age, and then on a special diet for 900 days.
This diet significantly increases the weight, giving the meat the perfect marbling. In addition, cows are regularly sunbathed, massaged with soju with a straw brush to increase blood circulation and daily walking. The cows also relax with soothing music in the barn.
Sukiyaki is a famous Japanese hot pot dish, used in a very shallow hot pot made of iron alloy. The main ingredients of the sukiyaki hotpot are thinly sliced premium beef, mushrooms, tofu, onions, shirataki noodles … Photo: JNTO.
The delicious taste of Matsusaka beef is partly due to cows raised to about 3 years of age, while most varieties in the world are slaughtered for about 18 months. Cows selected for slaughter must be unborn to keep the meat most nutritious.
According to Mie Matsusaka Meat Group, beef is rated on the A, B and C yield scales (where A is the highest) and a quality score of 1 to 5 (with 5 being the highest). The quality score has four criteria: marble, color, texture … Get the lowest score from the scale, the meat will have an overall score. For example, if the meat scores A for yield and 5 points for marbled marbles, but only 3 points for meat color, the overall score will be A3.
Matsusaka beef is currently available in many restaurants across Japan, but enjoying this premium beef at its birthplace is still the best choice. According to Tochigi, a longtime cow farmer in Mie Prefecture, visitors here should try Matsusaka beef with traditional sukiyaki.
Cows were fed ground wheat, barley, and soybean meal and were given beer for their appetite. Photo: JNTO.
Beef is put in a medium heat pan, simmered to get the natural fats from beef fat, thin, sweet and crispy flesh melt in the mouth.
In addition, there are several other types of processing. Sushiman restaurant serves Matsusaka beef sushi and traditional seafood sushi, each piece costs 900 yen (200,000 VND). Or at the Gyugin restaurant, where the first Matsusaka beef opened in 1902, has a traditional Japanese beef curry rice or beef burger.
Another Matsusaka beef dish you can try is the grilled beef conveyor belt at the table at Isshobin Honten restaurant. The average price for each meal is 3,000-6,000 yen (about 450,000 – 1.3 million VND) per person.