What is unique about Wagyu Cattle?
The Wagyu breed was first introduced into Japan in the 2nd century as a beast of burden for the Island’s many rice paddies. However, the rugged terrain restricted heavy migration and led to various isolated areas of unique breeding and feeding techniques, most famously, the inclusion in some areas of beer and/or Sake as part of the feed ration in the belief that alcohol helped digestion. As famously, in some even more remote hamlets where the cattle’s movement was severely limited due to exceptionally rough terrain, herdsmen actually started massaging their Wagyu to help circulation. Over the centuries, such treatment resulted in the breed developing extraordinary genetic traits for texture, tenderness, flavor, and overall eating quality. In an effort to protect these special genetic traits, the Shogun of Japan issued a mandate in 1635 officially closing the herd and, except for a brief period in the late nineteenth century, the National Japanese Wagyu herd remains closed to this day.
In 1992, at the urging of our many Japanese customers wanting ever finer quality meat, the Morgan Ranch introduced its first Wagyu herd to their operation.
Called the “Mercedes of the meat business,” the breed has retained its world-renown status for exceptional marbling, smooth texture, and rich taste – again, all inherited genetic traits. Given the Wagyu breed’s remarkable development and evolution, we at Morgan Ranch can thus ensure that the beef we invite our customers to enjoy has literally been centuries in the perfecting.
