Wagyu Cattle: where did they come from?
Wagyu cattle have been around for close to 3,500 years. They originated in Japan and the Wagyu we see today are the result of crossbreeding native cattle of Japan with imported breeds.
The name of cow is pretty straightforward when translated from Japanese – Wa means Japanese and Gyu means Cow. There are four main breeds of Wagyu, but there are only two breeds available outside of the United States. These are the Japanese Black and Japanese Brown (part of the Kumamoto Line). The American Wagyu Association has termed these as Japanese Black and Japanese Brown. The only breeds available outside of Japan are the Japanese Black and Japanese Brown (Kumamoto line).
Japanese Black Wagyu
The Japanese Black Wagyu started as the “workhorse” of the farm. It later went on to be certified as an indigenous Japanese beef cow in 1944. This breed is raised widely throughout Japan, and has captured over 90% of the Wagyu beef market in Japan. The cow is raised and fattened producing incredible marbling throughout the entire cow’s meat. This produces amazing flavor and a tender texture that has become known as some of the best beef – ever.
In the United States, Wagyu cattle are bred for their superior meat quality, as well as their ease in calving. Wagyu cattle are also used in terminal breeding programs and are crossed with breeds like Angus to increase the meat quality of the F1 progeny.
Wagyu cattle have been grown in United States since 1975, when Morris Whitney imported two black and two red bulls – the first the U.S. had seen. In the late 1980s, Japan reduced their tariffs on imported beef thus encouraging U.S. producers to create a high-quality meat for export to Japan.
During the 1990’s, the reach of Wagyu started to grow more in the United States. This is from several imports of Wagyu males and females; most were black, with a few red. When tracing Wagyu genetics around the world today, most of the Wagyu outside Japan can be linked right back to these imports. Later on in the 1990’s the Japanese Government banned further exports of Wagyu genetics (semen, embryos, and live cattle) and declared Wagyu a national living treasure.
The Meat
While the meat is incredibly tender, marbled to perfection, and just plain delicious, you may wonder if it’s still healthy for us. Much of the meat from Wagyu is actually fat, and Wagyu has a higher ratio of mono-unsaturated fat to saturated fat than is found in other beef. However, health experts have found that the saturated fat in Wagyu is different as well – “forty percent is in a version called stearic acid, which is regarded as having a minimal impact in raising cholesterol levels.” So long story short, Wagyu beef is more beneficial and healthier to human health.
Not only is it healther, but it is also “higher in a type of fatty acid called conjugated linoleic acid (CLA). Wagyu beef contains the highest amount of CLA per gram of any foodstuff – about 30% more than other beef breeds – due to higher linoleic acid levels. Foods that are naturally high in CLA have fewer negative health effects.”
This information was gathered from the American Wagyu Association.