There are many myths and facts about Wagyu Beef (pronounced 'Wag-You', where wa means "Japanese" and gyu means "cow") and a lot of public misconception comes from the fatty 'marbling' in the Wagyu meat, which has always been deemed as a bad thing in Australian beef.
The marbling in Wagyu Beef is in fact mono-saturated fats, and as researchers have found, can actually assist in reducing cholestoral levels in the body. Wagyu cattle yield a beef that contains a higher percentage of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids than typical beef.
Another interesting fact about this marbling is it's low melting point (around 7 degrees celcius) which means it literally does 'melt in your mouth' and has a fantastic smooth flavour which creates a real succulent delight for your tastebuds!
Fullblood and Wagyu cross cattle are farmed in Australia for domestic and overseas markets, including Taiwan, China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Indonesia, the U.K, France, Germany, Denmark and the U.S.A*
Wagyu were originally draft animals used in cultivation, so they were selected for physical endurance. This selection favoured animals with more intra-muscular fat cells, or marbling, which provided a readily available energy source.
Australian Wagyu cattle are grain fed for the last 300-500 days of production. You may have heard that they are fed beer. This is not a fact, although there are beer fed Australians that eat Wagyu!
* source: The Australian Wagyu AssociationIn Australia, we now have three distinctive different strains of Wagyu Cattle. These are Purebred, Crossbred and Fullblood. It is important that you know what the difference is.
Purebred - The purebred Wagyu was developed as a result of the breeding of Fullblood or Purebred Wagyu bulls with the base cow such as Angus. From this initial mating, called a first cross, the heifer is retained and mated back to a Fullblood or Purebred bull. The progeny of this second mating results in the F2. The progeny from the mating then produces the 3rd cross and so on until four crosses have been made. This aniaml is recognised in the USA and Australia breeding programmes as Purebred. It is not recognised in Japan (and is called a Crossbred) as it contains inferior genes.
Crossbreed - This description is the largest selling style of beef that is produced and sold in Japan. It is the result of a Wagyu genetics (sire) being crossed with another breed (in Japan mainly Holstein from the dairy industry). The resultant beef must contain 50% Wagyu genetics. This beef is purchased for home consumption or served in family style of restaurants. Crossbred beef is produced in Australia using Wagyu genetics (sire) crossed with Angus or Holstein. Raised and processed correctly these cattle produce a superior product to that of their dams breed.
Fullblood - This is the Japanese Black Wagyu that has not had any other breed introduced into their bloodlines. The Australian Wagyu Association defines Fullblood Wagyu as "The offspring of a Wagyu Sire and a Wagyu Dam whose forebears originate from Japan and whose pedigrees show no evidence of any grading up from the base animals".
source - Blackmore Wagyu