Wagyu cattle. Photo courtesy of Canadianwagyu.ca image:37238:0::0

Yorkshire is planning to launch this program this year and start selling the meat within the next three years. At first, the local Holsteins will be involved in the breeding program using semen from Japanese Wagyu bulls, which produce the famous Kobe beef. Later, pure-bred Wagyu will be imported during the second phase of the plan.

The Wagyu (和牛, wagyū ) refers to several breeds of cattle genetically predisposed to intense marbling and to producing a high percentage of oleaginous unsaturated fat. Also known as Kobe-style beef, the meat from Wagyu cattle is known worldwide for its marbling characteristics, increased eating quality through a naturally enhanced flavor, tenderness and juiciness, giving it a high market value.

The Japanese raise these cattle with beer, sake and massages in their native Kobe province of Japan. The meat produced is supposed to taste very good and doesn’t require a knife to cut them.

Japanese call this meat “Kobe beef” only if it is obtained from Wagyu cattle and only if it's raised in this particular province in Japan. But others have started producing this beef from importing Wagyu cattle in Australia and America. The Japanese call them “Kobe-style beef” instead of calling them with the original name, in order to distinguish the beef varieties. The other countries however call them Kobe beef even though they are not produced in Kobe province.

According to the Wikipedia, the grocery stores in the United States sell cuts of American Wagyu for $40/lb to $150/lb (€27,6/kg to €103,5/kg).

Currently in England, the prices offered for “Kobe beef” or “Kobe-style beef” is around £100 ($200) a kilo. The Yorkshire group instead wants to offer them at cheaper prices for the same quality by raising Wagyu cattle the same way like the Japanese.

Yorkshire will offer this special meat at £30 ($60) a kilogram (1 kilogram = 2.2 pounds) compared to £10 for the Asda store's most expensive sirloin.

They will raise these cattle in 210 acres of rich grassland area besides a truffle farm. Both these projects are aided by the supermarket chain Asda.

According to the Asda’s meat specialist, Pearce Hughes, the idea behind both these projects are to "make foods which have been the preserve of the extremely well-to-do affordable by the average man in the street…It is expensive and a treat, but we aim to sell it at a third of the price they charge in Harrods."

Though the meats are expensive, they are very healthy and provide a higher percentage of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids than typical beef.

If you have tasted Kobe beef, please share your thoughts. Is it as good as advertised?