The most expensive piece of meat in the world from spoiled virgin cows.. How much does it cost?

Skewered steak is one of the most expensive cuts of meat you can get in restaurants, but what about Japanese wagyu beef? It is the most expensive cut of meat in the world at all, and the price of one pound (nearly half a kilogram) is estimated at between 200 and 300 US dollars, while the price of a whole cow is estimated at up to 30 thousand dollars. But what makes this meat so expensive?

The word Wagyu means cow in Japanese, and the cuts of Wagyu beef belong to 4 main breeds, and they are raised in a special way, so that the fat cells are evenly distributed within the muscles and that is why the Wagyu beef looks pink and tastes very tender. The Japanese government tightly regulates wagyu production to protect the value and quality of the meat, according to Business Insider.

Wagyu is classified according to two main factors; The amount of meat that can be produced and the quality of the marbling fat. Wagyu has been certified for sale in Japan from grade 3 (A3) to grade 5 (A5). The higher the grade, the higher the price.

Wagyu beef has gained almost mythical status, and there are many legends about wagyu farms and the way animals are treated, from getting daily massages to being served beer. But these rumors are often not true.

The fattening journey

Cows are raised very differently in each region, but most often they are raised by a breeder until they are about 10 months old and then sold at auction to fattening farms.

The broiler keeps the animals in small pens and feeds them a mixture of high-energy concentrated fibers made from rice, wheat and hay. They are often fed 3 times a day for about two years, until they reach 50% fat. Only pregnant cows and breeding cows are allowed to graze on the pastures. During this fattening period, each cow eats 5 tons of feed.

The goal of fattening is to form marbled pieces of meat in which the meat is equal to the fat. And while there are more than 300 varieties of wagyu available, the most notable ones come from 10 regions. One of the most expensive cuts is the Matsusaka wagyu from Mie Prefecture, which is prepared exclusively from pampered virgin female cows and prized for its delicacy.

In 2002, a single Matsusaka cow sold for 50 million yen, or approximately $400,000 US dollars.

However, the most popular cut of wagyu meat is Kobe beef, which comes from Kobe City in Hyogo Prefecture and is prepared exclusively from calves or castrated bulls.

According to Business Insider, Wagyu olives are the rarest steak in the world and come from cattle raised on dried, pressed olive husks mixed into their feed.

The value of Japanese exports of wagyū has increased by more than 200% in the past five years. As Japan's population ages, farmers struggle to keep up with rising global demand, which drives up prices even more. But the high cost did not discourage international sales.

In 2013, Japan exported 5 billion yen (about $45 million) worth of wagyu. Last year (2020), exports amounted to 24.7 billion yen (about $218 million). Many producers are now obtaining halal certification for their slaughterhouses so that they can export to Muslim countries.

According to the American Wagyu Association (AWA), the genetic makeup of the Wagyu breed of cows stretches back 35,000 years. In this strain, most of the fat cells are within the muscles, providing an easily accessible energy source. This isolated strain was mixed with other strains from around the world, and the final genetic blending was completed in 1910, resulting in the modern strain of Wagyu beef we know today.