While it isn’t a household name in Canada yet, Wagyu is definitely making its mark in the high end meat market. Commonly confused with the term Kobe Beef ( which is Wagyu that has been raised & butchered in the Kobe region, Japan). Wagyu literally translates to “ Japanese Cow”. Wagyu is a Japanese breed of cattle that, when raised properly, can produce richly marbled beef with healthy fats, amazing flavour and juicy tenderness - which have made Wagyu cattle one of Japan’s national treasures.

A number of studies have been done to prove that Wagyu beef is “as healthy for the body as olive oil or Atlantic salmon”. Wagyu contains high omega 3 and omega 6 content, high ratios of mono-unsaturated fat to saturated fat, high amounts of oleic acid, high levels of linoleic acid and is quite low in cholesterol. (Study sources if you want to learn more : Washington State University; Texas A&M University; Penn State University; Lethbridge Research Centre, Canada; Journal of the American Heart Association; Journal of Scientific Neurology; Journal of Clinical Nutrition).

Meat enthusiast or not, we highly recommend giving Wagyu a try. Whether it is a F1 cross (50% Wagyu/50% another cattle breed) or Full blood (100%) Wagyu, this beef truly is remarkable. That being said, be sure before you buy! Due to lack of regulations in Canada and the USA, beef that is only slightly crossed with Wagyu can be labelled under its name. So before you spend more money per pound, ask what you are buying - you may be paying top dollar for something that is not purely Wagyu beef.