There are all kinds of stories about these cattle from Japan that are massaged, fed on beer and then sold at extremely high prices in Tokyo's top restaurants.

The Japanese have dedicated so much care and attention to the rearing of this breed of cattle, focusing on the quality rather than the quantity of their beef. The result is the ‘caviar of beef’. Wagyu also known as Kobe-style beef, the meat from these cattle are known worldwide for its marbling characteristics, it has a naturally enhanced flavor, tenderness and juiciness, and a high market value. Grocery stores in the United States will sell cuts of American Wagyu for $40/lb to $150/lb.
Because of the Wagyu cattle's special diet including beer and sake, wagyu beef contains a higher percentage of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids than typical beef. The marbling also improves the ratio of monounsaturated fats to saturated fats.

There are four major breeds of Wagyu (wa means Japanese, and gyū means cattle, or simply "Japanese cow"): Japanese Black, Japanese Brown, Japanese Polled, and Japanese Shorthorn. Japanese breed names include: Tajima, Tottori, Shimane, Kochi and Kumamoto.
View video of Wagyu Beef

What makes them priced at such a high value? Because they're massaged and fed on beer?

omg. Has anyone else had this before? It is f**king AMAZING. You need to try it. You need to shell out the money to try it, it is awesome.

Kobe beef is rare, and producing it is an expensive, time consuming process. There are three main factors that make Kobe beef so tender and succulent. The Wagyu breed of cattle, the regular massaging of the cow to blend the fat into the muscle, and the diet of beer given to the cow to stimulate appetite. If you ever get a chance to look at a cut of Kobe beef before it is cooked, you will notice that fat is interspersed in the meat in tiny pockets. How they are able to do this is still very weird to me, but it makes the steak taste oh so gooooooood....

^Ohhhh, gotcha. Damn, I want to try some.

so i read this article on perez & it made me think of this thread because the burger has Wagyu Beef.


http://perezhilton.com/2008-06-21-talk-about-a-whopper


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