What Exactly Is Wagyu?
The four Wagyu breeds in Japan descended from cattle originally used as working animals. Generations of labor-intensive days in a cold climate caused them to develop extra intramuscular fat. In the 1900s, the mechanization of farming rendered the animals largely obsolete. As breeders began butchering their herds, an unexpectedly lucrative market sprang up for the rich, buttery meat.
Wagyu can costs upward of $200 per pound. Top selections from areas of Japan such as Kobe, Miyazaki, and Matsusaka command even more. American Wagyu is becoming more and more common stateside. At $50 or more per pound (depending on the cut), it costs less than Japanese Wagyu but is five times the cost of an average American steak.
AMERICAN WAGYU
American Wagyu comes from American-born cattle that have full to partial Wagyu lineage, bred from ancestors brought over from Japan. Crossbreeding is common in the United
