Wagyu Beef
This week’s special offer is for our Wagyu Beef Sirloin Steaks so we thought it appropriate to give you a guide as to what makes Wagyu so special and how it was developed.
The name— Wagyu — literally means Japanese cattle. The “wa” means Japan and the “gyu” stands for cow or cattle.
What makes the very special Wagyu taste is how the Wagyu breed has a special way of processing fat in in that it tends to build up through the muscle, rather than outside of it. That way you get amazing marbling effects which means when the steak is cooked – the taste is a much richer fuller and complex experience.
Wagyu beef is any of four different kinds of Japanese cattle. There are 4 main Wagyu breeds:
- Japanese Black
- Japanese Shorthorn
- Japanese Brown
- Japanese Polled
Japanese black is the dominant breed available, with over 90% of Japanese cattle belonging to this strain.
Although it is only in recent years that Wagyu has become well known in the UK, it has a long history.
Beef became popular in Japan in the 1860s when Emperor Meiji ate meat publicly. Before that cattle were mainly work animals and weren’t eaten very much. But the new Royal endorsement led to a surge in its popularity.
The rise in meat consumption led to an effort by Japanese farmers to improve the quality of their meat. By the 1990s they had developed the 4 Wagyu breeds we know today.
The quality of this Japanese delicacy was seen to be so good and the demand to keep it in the country was so great, that in 1997 Japan banned the export of Wagyu beef declaring it a "national treasure".
America had already got some of the Wagyu heard and stated cross breeding them to create an American Wagyu beef. Now you can find Wagyu beef in the UK farms as well.
Our Wagyu Sirloin Steak offer is a fantastic way to enjoy this special meat. It's best to avoid under cooking the steak. Heat should penetrate through all marbling seams of the Wagyu steak for it to reach the optimum flavour point. It is best to have the pan heated to high before adding the steak. Sear both sides for 2 minutes each, and then reduce heat to the pan to medium-low.