Akaushi

Akaushi (赤牛, roughly meaning "red cow") is a Japanese Wagyū breed of cattle. The beef produced by Akaushi cattle is richly marbled with fat and produces a very tender, flavorful, and expensive variety of steak which is sold to high end restaurants. A commonly heard term is Kobe Beef. These steaks can only be labeled "Kobe" if the animal was raised in a specific region of Japan. .[1]

Beef originally carrying the title of "Kobe beef" were simply cattle from herds in the Kobe area of Japan, and could be any of four breeds of Wagyu cattle: the Akaushi (Japanese Red), the Kuroushi (Japanese Black), the Japanese Polled and the Japanese Shorthorn.[2]

Currently, the largest purebred group of Wagyū outside Japan is a herd of Akaushi cattle located in Harwood, Texas, owned by HeartBrand Beef. It was raised from a Japanese imported herd of 11 which was guarded by off-duty Texas Rangers to protect from interbreeding for over 12 years until the herd grew to over 5,000 cattle.[1]

The meat contains high concentrations of oleic acid, a heart-healthy fatty acid. Akaushi beef has a high ratio of monounsaturated to saturated fats.[3]

References

  1. 1 2 Roberts, Michelle (2007-07-17). "Japanese cow herd protected, coddled for 12 years to make Kobe beef". Deseret News (Salt Lake City). Retrieved 2007-09-15.
  2. ↑ Akaushi Beef; Logan Farms website; accessed Oct 2013.
  3. ↑ Heather Smith Thomas "Akaushi Cattle" Western Cowman (July/Aug 2010)
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