kobe beef

This is a dream food for me, kobe or wagyu beef, and perhaps for most of us foodtrippers. Its taste is sure heaven, and fittingly, its price is high heavens, :-). Let's see why, besides having the blessed cows being regularly rubbed with sake (really no ordinary rubbing alcohol, huh?) and even being fed with expensive beer:

Kobe beef For meat lovers Kobe beef is the holy grail of steaks. In Japan a meal consisting of this meat, prized for its rich flavour, tenderness and heavy marbling of fat will set you back around ¥13000 ($130/£65) on your credit card. The criteria for authentic Kobe beef is very strict: the meat must come from the black Tajimi-ushi breed of Wagyu cattle, and be born, raised and slaughtered in the Hyogo Prefecture region of Japan (in which lies the city of Kobe). (source: Kitchen Geekery) 

While Wagyu cattle are raised both in and outside Japan, the Kobe varietal which is raised specifically in the Hyogo prefecture is the most elite. Employing the most traditional production methods, Kobe beef comes from cows that are allegedly fed only beer and massaged by hand to ensure a tenderness and marbling beyond compare. These dishes can be out of range for the average restaurateur, carrying an unhealthy load of fat and a price tag to match. For your next after-work social, you might try taking your associates to New York City’s Craftsteak, where a full Wagyu rib eye was served up to a private party for $2800. (source: Pakmasti)

Hmm, for now, I'll just have to content myself salivating over these photos:

Photo credit: wikipedia.org

Photo credit: mano-pakmasti.blogspot.com

Photo credit: lushbling.com

Photo credit: Dateriles

Photo credit:  The Gastronomist

Photo credit: Most Expensive of Things

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