More precisely, it is the meat obtained from the slaughter of a typically oriental bovine breed, belonging to the Tajima strain - Japanese black cattle - and reared in the Hyōgo prefecture. Other names used for this product are: Kobe niku (神 戸 肉, "Kobe beef"), Kobe-gyu (神 戸 牛) or Kobe-ushi (神 戸 牛, "Kobe bovle").
Its organoleptic and gustatory characteristics, considered unique and inimitable, are first of all attributable to a particular breeding method, but are also evaluated in the preliminary phase for marketing. The fundamental principles are established by the "Kobe Beef Marketing and Distribution Promotion Association", and aim to standardize the superior quality level of this product.
Kobe meat is a food of animal origin. Of the first fundamental group of foods, it is rich in proteins with high biological value, vitamins and minerals specific to meat. It also has a considerable lipid supply, which makes it unsuitable for the ordinary diet, especially in the case of overweight. Furthermore, like all other meats, it can be not recommended or unsuitable in the diet of those suffering from certain metabolic, hereditary or acquired diseases. We will go into detail later.
Kobe meat can be cooked like a simple steak - "simple" is actually a very reductive term, meaning the essentiality of the steps, but not their ease of execution - sukiyaki, shabu-shabu, sashimi and teppanyaki .
Kobe meat is known above all for its characteristic flavor, for its softness and for the considerable percentage of fat excellently distributed within the muscle bundles (called marbling or veining). Together with Matsusaka and Ōmi (Yonezawa), Kobe beef is globally considered one of the three best cattle in Japan and perhaps in the world (Sandai Wagyuu, or "the three big steers").
Kobe meat is very expensive, as only around 3,000 head of cattle can be marketed as such. In March 2018, imported Kobe beef for sale in Harrods (London) had a record price of £ 625 per kg (over € 706 per kg); on average it is available, in small denominations, for just under half this price. In Japan, all cattle, not just those that end up labeled Kobe beef, can be traced - via a 10-digit number - to each stage of their entire life cycle.
with high biological value, specific vitamins and minerals. However, it has a high energy intake, mainly caused by the abundance of fats.The calories of Kobe meat are mainly provided by lipids (28 g / 100 g of food) and proteins (22 g / 100 g of food); carbohydrates (complexes, glycogen) are absent or irrelevant. The peptides have a high biological value, that is, they contain all the essential amino acids in the right quantities and proportions compared to the human model. Fatty acids are mainly unsaturated, especially monounsaturated (omega 9 oleic acid - OA), followed by saturated (11 g / 100 g of food) and a few polyunsaturated - mainly consisting of omega 6. Cholesterol is present in significant quantities.
Kobe meat does not contain dietary fiber, gluten and lactose; the concentration of histamine is not known, but should be irrelevant. Instead, it has abundant amounts of purines and phenylalanine amino acid.
From a vitamin point of view, Kobe beef is a food that does not stand out from the average of products belonging to the same category - meats. Of the water-soluble ones - more abundant - it mainly contains those of group B - for example riboflavin (vit B2), niacin (vit PP), pyridoxine (vit B6) and cobalamin (vit B12). The fat-soluble ones seem less relevant, of which a more important fraction of retinol (vit A) and / or equivalent (RAE) is evident.
Even with regard to mineral salts, Kobe meat does not stray too far from its belonging group. The content of iron is good, but also of phosphorus and zinc; it also provides potassium - but it is not considered a primary nutritional source of this mineral.
with the same job. In this case we are talking about other meats (game, offal, poultry), but also fishery products (fin fish, crustaceans, molluscs) and eggs.Even cooked without the addition of fat, with its 220 kcal / 100 g, Kobe meat cannot be used in the diet for overweight. On the contrary, in this case it would be advisable to prefer lean meats such as chicken breast, turkey, horse, lean fish etc.
Due to the questionable content of cholesterol and saturated fats - also considering the considerable quantitative importance of monounsaturated omega 9 (OA) - it is not a raw material to be included in the diet against hypercholesterolemia. Of the same fundamental group, they would instead be more appropriate. fish - finnuts proper - rich in omega 3 (EPA and DHA).
If not in the presence of obesity, it is a hypothetically neutral food for diets aimed at people suffering from hyperglycemia or type 2 diabetes mellitus, hypertriglyceridemia and hypertension.
Kobe meat, rich in high biological value proteins, is very useful in the diet of those who have a greater need for all essential amino acids; for example: pregnancy and breastfeeding, growth, extremely intense and / or prolonged sporting practice, old age - for eating disorder and tendency to geriatric malabsorption - pathological malabsorption, recovery from specific or generalized malnutrition, defedation, etc.
Kobe meat is one of the products to be avoided or consumed in extreme moderation, in case of severe hyperuricemia - a tendency to gout - and kidney stones or lithiasis from uric acid crystals. It should be completely excluded from the diet for phenylketonuria. It does not show contraindications for lactose intolerance and celiac disease; it should also be harmless for histamine intolerance.
Kobe meat is an appreciable source of bioavailable iron and participates in covering the metabolic needs, higher in fertile, pregnant women, marathon runners and vegetarians - especially vegans. Note: Iron deficiency can lead to iron deficiency anemia. It contributes to the satisfaction of the need for phosphorus, a mineral very abundant in the organism - in particular in the bones in the form of hydroxyapatite, in the phospholipids of cell membranes and in the nervous tissue etc. The zinc content - essential for hormonal and enzymatic antioxidant production - It is not to be considered an essential source of potassium, but it nevertheless participates in satisfying the body's demand - greater in case of increased sweating, for example in sports, increased diuresis and diarrhea; the lack of this alkalizing ion - necessary for the membrane potential and very useful in the fight against primary arterial hypertension - induces, especially related to lack of magnesium and dehydration, the onset of muscle cramps and general weakness.
Kobe meat is rich in B vitamins, all coenzyme factors of great importance in cellular processes. Like other meats, it can therefore be considered an excellent support for the functioning of the various body tissues. Vitamin A and its precursors - RAE, also with an antioxidant function - maintain the visual and reproductive function in an optimal state, allow cell differentiation, etc.
It is not allowed in the vegetarian and vegan diet. It is inadequate for Hindu and Buddhist nutrition; Kobe meat should be considered a food suitable for Judaism, but not for Islam - due to the lack of basic slaughter criteria.
After total cooking, it is also allowed in the diet during pregnancy.
The average serving of Kobe beef is around 100 g (220 kcal).
, but also the type and percentage of connective tissue. For this reason, it is known as the meat ingredient coming from terrestrial animals that is most suitable for raw processing, in particular Sashimi.Other traditional Kobe meat recipes are Sukiyak and Shabu-shabu, two traditional Japanese dishes prepared and served in nabemono or nabe, one of the hot pots of Chinese origin. Teppanyaki, equally traditional, is the name of a process flambéed directly on the plate.
In the West, on the other hand, Kobe meat is almost exclusively used for dishes or main courses, more precisely processed with fast and intense cooking, both sautéed, grilled or grilled. It is essential that this food is kept rare, even if it is "almost" impossible to make it dry and hard with excessive cooking. Since it is not a local product, oriental interpretations are especially popular, for example with sweet and sour sauces or soy.
intramuscular which, by veining it, gives it an unmistakable appearance; as we will see later, this property is measured with a specific evaluation index (BMS).
Due to its chemical composition, or to the ratio of its fatty acids, the melting point of fat in Kobe meat - and of all Tajima cattle - is lower than that of common beef. In fact, Wagyu meat contains a much higher fraction of unsaturated fats than the average of beef raised in the rest of the world. It provides high levels of oleic acid (monounsaturated omega 9), known to be the characteristic fatty acid of olive oil - and not only - which in various studies has shown that it can reduce bad LDL cholesterol.
On the palate, it stands out for its typical meltiness and for the much more delicate but still rich flavor of other cattle reared with different systems.
muscular.
