Have you ever tried Kobe beef? It's sometimes called wagyu
I have never tried Kobe Beef. Where can I find it?
Well, it is originally from Japan. Cattle were brought to Japan from China in the second century AD!
Oh wow. I did not know that is where Kobe beef originated. Is it pricier?
Yes! Kobe was one of the cities open to the west for trade so other types of cattle were brought there as well
Very interesting. Is Kobe beef popular outside of Japan?
and selected as "Improved Japanese Cattle". Four separate strains were characterised, based mainly on which type of foreign cattle had most influenced the hybrids, and were recognised as breeds in 1944. These were the four wagyū breeds, the Japanese Black, the Japanese Brown, the Japanese Polled and the Japanese Shorthorn. The Tajima is a strain of the Japanese Black, the most populous breed (around 90% of the four breeds).
Beef consumption remained low until after World War II. Kobe beef grew in popularity
Kobe beef
Kobe beef is also called , or in Japanese.
History.
Cattle were brought to Japan from China at the same time as the cultivation of rice, in about the second century AD, in the Yayoi period. Until about the time of the Meiji Restoration in 1868, they were used only as draught animals, in agriculture, forestry, mining and for transport, and as a source of fertiliser. Milk consumption was unknown, and – for cultural and religious reasons – meat was not eaten.