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> That Kobe is probably Wagyu, a cheaper, passable cut, Olmsted says. I am not sure if something is lost in translation between the article and the books' auth
by venomsnake 10y ago
> That Kobe is probably Wagyu, a cheaper, passable cut, Olmsted says.
I am not sure if something is lost in translation between the article and the books' authors, but that is rubbish. Kobe beef is PDO (which US is not participating internationally), so you can cure ham at home, and call it "best original prosciutto".
Wagyu is a breed of cattle. And depending on the produces/sourcing it may even surpass the beef from Kobe (which also comes from Wagyu animals) in quality. There is nothing that prevents US farmer or Australian one of producing the best beef in the world. Or the best wine, best cured meats, best beer, best cheese, best whatever.
Some people try to capitalize by falsely designating their products as coming from regions that have put centuries into perfecting products. That says nothing about the quality of the underlying product - it depends on the producer.
Kobe beef - for USDA and the like means nothing. You can call your beef Kobe, Kube, Kombe, Kombat, Kohinoor and it will be all the same as long as it is beef.
In the other parts of the world Kobe beef means well - beef produced in Kobe, in a specific way that is of certain quality.
- ctphipps 10y agoI'm always surprised the Japanese (or more specifically the Japan National Wagyu Registration Association) don't kick up a fuss about the name 'Wagyu' being used for the name of the breed (no matter where it is raised) and not the origin of the meat. 'Wagyu' in Japanese literally means 'Japanese Cow'. I wonder what it would take to name an existing cattle breed 'US Beef', send breeding stock to somewhere with lots of land and cheap labor and starting a new domestically raised 'US Beef' industry.
- venomsnake 10y agoI think that trademark dilution is in place. Also it is tricky - if it comes to mean Japanese (as the territory), I will just put some third rate cattle on the disputed islands under Russian administration and it will become as Wagyu as they come. Personally I think they decided to take smaller slice of much bigger pie - if the world gets a taste for Wagyu - there will be a lot of money in the business. And as long as they make sure they are providing among the best stuff - they will always be able to sell everything with a premium.