Before we talk about why, we've got to start with what Wagyu beef is and how it's different from other types of beef.
For starters, Wagyu refers to any cattle that is bred in Japan or raised in the Japanese style. In comparison to another name you may have heard, Kobe beef is a very particular strain of Wagyu that is raised according to strict standards in Hyogo, who's capital city is Kobe. Many types of Wagyu are named based on their geographical locations.
There are four breeds of Wagyu. By nature, they are predisposed to extreme marbling. In fact, if you look at a piece of raw Wagyu, it's almost all marble. This fat content is what makes Wagyu so good. If you've never had it, it melts in your mouth the way beef never has before, and you can literally cut it with a spoon. No steak knife needed. It sounds trite, but it really is like butter.
In the U.S., Wagyu beef is often crossbred with Angus to create an American style of "Kobe beef," and there are also breeders who raise full blooded Wagyu cattle that are registered through an American Wagyu Association to track their quality.
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