*An explanation of the picture in the Regional News box of a cow being massaged.

Kobe Beef (from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

Kobe beef is beef from a Wagyu cow. It is renowned for its flavor, tenderness, and fatty well-marbled texture. These qualities are a result of their excellent genetic characterisics. Cows of the same breed are raised this way in Japan, Idaho, Texas, California, Virginia, and Australia, but can only be called Kobe beef if slaughtered in Kobe, Japan.

Kobe Beef cattle are hand massaged. Cattle in Japan have little room to exercise as this can cause soreness in their muscles which reduces their appetite. This lower stress level in addition to constant massage keeps the muscles tender. During the summer when the cows eat less after having stored up all that fat during the winter, the cows are fed beer, which increases their appetites and helps them maintain a higher, more desirable level of fat.

Because true Kobe beef is not exported from Japan, "Kobe style" beef is produced from a crossbreed of Wagyu and American Angus cattle raised and slaughtered in the U.S. Of these cattle, the highest quality cows are sent to Japan, who still owns the rights to the cows, and the U.S. keeps what is left.

Kobe beef can be prepared as steak, sukiyaki, shabu shabu, teppanyaki, and more.