Are you ready to dive deep into the culinary world's latest fantasy - wagyu beef? Did you know there is now halal wagyu available for those who prefer to eat their meat a particular way?
The Halal Wagyu is not different from the regular Wagyu beef in taste and texture. Yes, there is some difference in how the cow is reared, and slaughtered.
If you are new to the whole shindig, here is everything you need to know about halal wagyu.
Join me, as I explore the marbled luxury of this divine, luxurious meat. From its velvety texture to its buttery flavour; not to mention the health benefits associated with this beef.
What Is Wagyu Beef?
The term Wagyu means “Japanese Cow.” Therefore pure wagyu beef originates from a Japanese breed of cattle that is red or black.
The beef from only either of these four breeds is considered pure Wagyu beef – Japanese Black, Japanese Brown, Japanese Shorthorn, and Japanese Polled.
Wagyu beef is the most highly-regarded meat in the world. Do you know why? It is because of its marbled texture.
Confused eh?
Let me explain. Marbling here refers to those streaks of fat woven evenly throughout the beef as a result of a specific feed in their diet.
The specific diet ensures their fat is dispersed evenly across the meat creating this marbling effect.
And when this piece of meat is heated, the fat melts, infusing every bite with a juicy, buttery delight.
Wagyu - The Healthy Beef Option
Twisted yet true, we tend to enjoy unhealthy things compared to healthy alternatives.
However, it's a completely different scenario with wagyu beef, not only does it taste divine, but it is packed with nutrition as well.
Wagyu beef is a heart-friendly beef, due to the presence of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids.
Moreover, wagyu is rich in monounsaturated fats (good fats) that can help lower your bad cholesterol. Hence, you get to eat the best beef in the world without actually feeling guilty about your health.
Apart from that, wagyu is brimming with other essential nutrients and minerals such as zinc, iron, and selenium. With such amazing health benefits present in beef, it is bound to be expensive.
Why Is Wagyu Expensive? What Makes It Different From Regular Beef?
The heavenly taste of wagyu and the health benefits are a result of incredible genetics and breeding.
The connoisseurs of the meat have taken centuries to perfect the taste, apart from the extraordinary care given to the wagyu cow.
The whole process of raising Wagyu cows is very meticulous. They are fed for a longer, slower period, striving to make them stress-free and happy in a clean and well-maintained environment.
The cows tend to not eat enough if they are kept in a stressed environment. These intricate steps yield an increase in their intramuscular fat content and the marbling effect.
Now, when compared to regular beef, the prime version of beef will contain around 12-13% fat, whereas the beef from a purebred Japanese wagyu will contain between 30-50% fat. Here we are talking about the pure breed.
But due to the increase in demand for the wagyu and due to the high cost of importing wagyu from Japan, many countries like Australia, the UK, and the US have started raising cross-breeds of wagyu cows.
Although the pure version is certainly top-grade, the crossbreed version of Wagyu beef is almost at par with the purebred.
Is Wagyu Halal?
Now, the question that concerns us the most is, is Wagyu permissible to eat for Muslims?
There is a popular belief circulating about wagyu cattle, that the wagyu cow is fed alcohol (beer) to stimulate its appetite.
In such a scenario, where the cattle is given alcohol before slaughter, the meat will be considered haram (non-permissible).
For meat to be considered halal (permissible) the animal should be slaughtered through a halal slaughter process called zabiha which involves a few key steps:
- The butcher must be a Muslim
- Allah’s name should be called out before slaughtering.
- The animal’s position should be facing towards Makkah.
- The knife should be flawlessly sharp to pass through the animal’s throat in a single attempt, cutting its jugular vein. Studies have shown that this method minimises pain for the animal.
- The animal must be allowed to bleed out completely as blood is considered non-halal.
So, if the wagyu cattle are slaughtered in such a way, at the same time not fed alcohol before slaughtering, then the wagyu beef will be considered halal.
Halal Wagyu - The Recent Rave
Since having wagyu is considered such a luxury, it was only fair that Muslims got the halal-certified version of it.
With wagyu beef gaining popularity in the Middle East where the majority of the population is Muslim, the halal-certified wagyu became easily available.
However, the halal-certified Wagyu beef companies primarily focused on institutional consumers, and the beef was only available in hotel chains, and high-end restaurants.
Therefore, finding halal wagyu in the retail consumer sector was always a challenging task as the supply went directly to the Middle East.
Fortunately, due to the overwhelming demand for halal wagyu by consumers, halal-certified wagyu beef options are now available at selected upscale online retail stores and supermarkets in the UK and elsewhere.
Wrap Up
Wagyu beef is a luxury that one should occasionally treat oneself with. And since it is easily available at SaveCo.
You can bring restaurant quality ingredients and cook high quality meals for your family with love right in the comfort of your own home.
