Whats the difference between Japanese and Australian Wagyu?
By now everyone has heard the term wagyu before, but what is the difference between Australian and Japanese wagyu?
Difference in Cattle
One of the main differences between Japanese vs Australian Wagyu is very simple. Australian Wagyu comes from Australia and Japanese Wagyu comes from Japan. This is significant because the cattle in Japan and Australia are different, and they also eat a different diet. Japanese Wagyu can only come from four breeds of cattle: Japanese Black , Japanese Brown, Japanese Polled and Japanese Shorthorn. On the other hand, Australian Wagyu is generally a crossbreed between the Japanese Black and Brown cattle mixed with other cattle species in Australia. This means that the only purebred wagyu cattle are exclusive to Japan, giving it the higher price tag.
Marbling of the Meat
When it comes to the meat itself, Japanese Wagyu almost always has a higher fat content and better marbling when compared to its Australian counterpart. This is because purebred Japanese Wagyu generally has the genetics giving them the higher intramuscular fat. Along with this, the two types of wagyu are also graded on a different scale. Japanese Wagyu is graded with a Beef Marbling Scale (BMS), which ranges from 1 to 12. On the other hand, using the same BMS scale, Australian Wagyu only goes from 1 to 9. A5 Japanese Wagyu encompasses wagyu that is BMS 8 through 12, meaning that even the highest quality Australian Wagyu cannot compete with A5 Japanese Wagyu when it comes to fat content.
So is there a difference in the taste?
While Japanese Wagyu and Australian Wagyu are both considered to be wagyu, the difference between Japanese vs Australian Wagyu comes down to the taste and texture of the meat. Overall, Japanese Wagyu has a much more “buttery” taste, and is extremely tender in texture. On the other hand, while Australian Wagyu also has these properties, they are much less significant than Japanese Wagyu. Since Australian Wagyu generally has much less fat than Japanese Wagyu, the taste is very different. Australian wagyu boasts a more pronounced beef flavor and is less tender in texture. However, this might not be a bad thing depending on your individual preference. However, one thing is for sure, A5 Japanese Wagyu (the highest grade for Japanese Wagyu) is much more sought after and requires much more time and effort in order to get the final product.