Tenderloin wagyu Japanese Kagoshima A4

It is one of the most important and sought-after specialty cuts of beef, and is the tender "heart" of the sirloin steak. It is the premium cut of meat located between the 6th and 12th thoracic vertebrae.
When the rib eye steak is removed from the bone, it yields a clean, oval piece of meat, the best quality steak, consisting of two distinct muscles. It has a round shape, like an eye, hence its name, the "eye of the steak". It has great flavor and tenderness due to its excellent fat distribution.

The history of Wagyu, then, begins somewhere in the late 19th century, when Emperor Meiji the Great regained power. Since then, Japan began to evolve and transform from an introverted and feudal state into an industrializing superpower. With the restoration of imperial rule, the period of reform (Westernization) of the country began; the morals, but also the eating habits of the Japanese people, were changing. The ban on meat consumption was lifted, so beef gained a place in Japanese cuisine. After 1868, when many Japanese were introduced to European and North American customs and daily practices, the consumption of beef became fashionable in large cities. The encouragement of this consumption can be seen as part of the new regime’s efforts to redefine the Japanese physique in a way that would make it more attractive to Westerners, thus facilitating Japan’s entry into the ranks of those countries where the average height was higher than that of the Japanese. To further this goal, the government supported the production and consumption of beef. In 1871, it abolished the monopoly on meat production by hereditary groups, and in 1872, it made sure to publicize not only the emperor’s position and the thinker Fukuzawa Yukichi’s article “On Eating Meat,” but also the related discussions among intellectuals, giving a premium to literary renditions of the new lifestyles. Thus, although Wagyu beef was created and raised in Japan, its inclusion in Japanese cuisine is, in fact, a clear demonstration of Western influence on Japanese customs, which also marks a significant turning point in Japanese history.

In the 1880s, the Japanese decided to import animals from European cattle breeds and cross-breed them with Japanese ones. Thus, the old breeds of working animals evolved into meat-producing ones. From these emerged various breeds of cattle, which still dominate the Japanese beef trade today. Among them, only four, however, are true Wagyu breeds:

Japanese Black | The black Japanese breed, their meat is prized for its intense marbling. As 90% of Wagyu comes from the black Japanese breed, when someone says "Wagyu", they are usually referring to Japanese black cattle.
Japanese Brown | The brown Japanese breed, a leaner, healthier breed of cattle, known for the mild flavor of its meat.
Japanese Shorthorn | Japanese Shorthorn. Although also lean, Japanese Shorthorn meat is rich in inosinate and glutamic acid, two valuable acids that give it a saltier flavor.
Japanese Polled | Japanese Polled: With lean meat like Brown and Shorthorn, Japanese Polled meat is renowned for its more pleasant texture and rich, meaty flavor.

In the beginning there was a black cow
Everything you need to know about Wagyu beef and especially Kobe meat
“Wagyu” refers to any cattle raised in Japan or … in the Japanese way. Where Wagyu, loosely translated, means “Japanese cattle” (“Wa” means Japanese or Japanese style and “gyu” means cow or cattle, in general). Simply put, “Wagyu” means “Japanese cow”. In order for Wagyu meat to be categorized as Kobe, it must come from a very special member of the Wagyu breed, called Tajima-Gyu, which is raised under strict protocols in the Hyogo prefecture. As Wagyu meat was often transported from Kobe to Yokohama – the commercial port in the Tokyo metropolitan area – it began to be highly valued by foreigners living there. Its fans are also credited with the slogan: “What other, Kobe beef!”

But what makes Wagyu stand out from other types of cattle? And what makes Kobe beef so special that it often commands the highest prices (per kilo) on the market?
Those who raise Wagyu cattle raise them with great care. They feed them milk until they are 3 months old. After three months, the calves are fed a mixture of grass, rice straw and cereals (corn, soybeans and wheat). The diet of Kobe cattle is common to all other Wagyu, but each farm slightly differentiates the food it gives its cattle. In addition to corn or cornmeal, which is a basic requirement, they add oats, wheat, barley, soybeans, but also sugarcane silage or cocoa nibs (fragments of the seeds enclosed in the cocoa fruit). Most animals consume both straw and hay, as they would consume in their natural habitats. It is worth mentioning that in recent years two livestock farmers, one in Japan and one in the Netherlands, have adopted a different diet enriched with a delicious, easily digestible and safe paste made from pure olive pulp, which comes from roasted "waste" from olive mills.

It is sometimes said that ranchers massage their cattle to reduce muscle tension caused by confined spaces.
There are many myths surrounding Wagyu breeding. It is said that they live in… spa conditions, that they are provided with “gourmet” food, that they are massaged with beer and made to listen to classical music to relax. Although none of these myths have been debunked, it does not mean that they are the norm. Producers follow very strict breeding guidelines and some have actually invented special methods that allow Wagyu to live a lazy and calm life. They can listen to music, but it is not necessary. What is certain is that the calm life and laziness of these cattle helps to increase the percentage of intramuscular fat (marbling) and contributes to its unique distribution, which makes Wagyu beef so delicious and sought after. Because its "waters," the thin, white fibers of fat that melt while the meat is cooking, allow it to remain tender, juicy, and therefore flavorful. And because the melting point of its fat is lower than the average human body temperature, it melts, pleasantly, in the mouth.

Part of its appeal is its aroma, a unique, sweet coconut aroma. A relatively recent study in the Journal of Agricultural & Food Chemistry identified sixteen compounds that give it this distinctive smell, ten of which are directly linked to the meat. The strongest elements, however, are compounds derived from fatty acids. The excess fat, its distribution and the different composition of fatty acids are due, on the one hand, to a genetic characteristic of this particular breed of cattle – but also to their diet, which is such that their intramuscular fat reaches 30 – 40 % of the muscle volume – and, on the other hand, to the fact that the calves continue to be raised until the age of 30 months.

Marbling: The Wagyu Difference
The result of these breeding methods combined with longer fattening periods are the key factors in the taste superiority of Wagyu meat. Marbling gives Wagyu a better taste. Their fat melts at a lower temperature than any other cattle, resulting in a rich, buttery flavor that is not noticeable in meats from other breeds. This fat is unsaturated and rich in omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, which means that marbling not only makes them tastier, but also healthier. Wagyu, despite the breed's genetically increased predisposition to the creation of intramuscular fat, also produces a high percentage of unsaturated fatty acids such as omega-3 fatty acids, which balance the corresponding percentage of omega-6 fatty acids and therefore help reduce bad cholesterol and fight heart disease.

Quality assessment of Wagyu meat
Another very important factor that determines the quality of Wagyu is its grades. In some specialized butcher shops or in the menus of high-end meat restaurants we usually read an indication of A5. This is its evaluation, which was given to it by members of the Japan Meat Grading Association. The categories marked with letters from A to C refer to the yield percentage of quality meat of each cow. A is the highest grade of this yield and C the lowest. Each letter is followed by a number (from 1-5), which refers to the quality grade. Where 5 is excellent, 4 is good, 3 is average, 2 is below average and 1 is poor.
The evaluation is based on four criteria:
1. Marbling (the distribution of intramuscular fat in meat)
2. The color of the meat in relation to its brightness
3. The firmness and texture of the meat
4. The color in relation to the shine and quality of its fat

Regarding the categories of "Sashi" (i.e. marbling, in Japanese) there is a further evaluation, the Beef Marble Score (BMS), with a rating from 1-12.
According to BMS, excellent intramuscular fat is rated between 8-12, good from 5-7, average from 3-4, the next lowest level with 2 and the minimum with 1. So A5 is the highest quality Japanese Wagyu and therefore the most expensive and best score that an A5 could get is A5-12, which is very rare. Understanding the logic of this rating system, one can buy or order the meat in the restaurant that they wish to pay accordingly.
All of this information goes some way to explaining why in countries like the United States the cost of the best Wagyu steaks easily exceeds $300.
Besides, the price for a (live) Wagyu cow can reach $30,000. In 2002, in Japan, a Wagyu cow was sold for about $400,000. It was a record and is the highest price, so far, that such a cow has fetched.

And Wagyu burgers?
Is it really worth ordering a Wagyu burger? I would say no. The whole charm of Wagyu meat lies in its unique texture, its very good marbling and its tenderness. Therefore, if the meat is ground into minced meat and turned into patties or burgers, it will be tender, but its taste difference compared to any other (common) burger will be small to imperceptible.