Wagyu beef in Kuching

GOO-BAK n. beef

To all meat-loving residents of Kuching, there is now a genuine reason to celebrate...

Wagyu beef have reached our shores!


Unashamedly copied and pasted straight from Wikipedia...

"Wagyu ("和牛" in Japanese Kanji characters) refers to several beef breeds of cattle genetically predisposed to intense marbling, and produces a high percentage of oleaginous unsaturated fat."

You might be asking, what is marbling? Here, it refers to the rich fat content between the muscle layers of red meat. It renders the meat juicier, more tender and literally, more mouth-watering. I cannot begin to describe the stark difference between our Sarawakian beef and this wagyu meat. Our Sarawak beef standard tu-si-a-nay only, this wagyu bak really up the ante in your beef-eating experience.

Now a little history lesson...

Japanese Wagyu derive from native Asian cattle, which were genetically infused with British and European breeds in the late 1800's. The breed was closed to outside breed lines in the early 1900s. Regional isolation has produced a number of different lines with varying conformation over time. Just like we have Ibans, Bidayuhs, Melanaus... or Hakkas, Teochews, Foochows... you get my meaning.

It is critical for Wagyu breeders to understand the characteristics of each line when cross breeding to produce higher quality Wagyu beef. The production of Wagyu beef in Japan is highly regulated and progeny testing is mandatory. Cannot pian chiak.

Only the very best proven genetics are kept for breeding. The Japanese Government banned the export of Wagyu and declared them a national treasure. Just like we consider ourselves, Kuchingites, a national treasure... but sadly we are free to export ourselves to other cultural and international breed.

In 1976, four Wagyu-breed bulls were exported to the United States in mysterious circumstances. And a few escaped to Australia, via the United States. Yeah, you can say cows can fly and swim.

(Caught on camera! Cow evaded US Immigration officer en route to Australia.)

The Australians can actually identify their wagyu cattle by names; don't be surprised if they told you... "you are now eating Hazuno, son of Haruki and Suzutani".

Thanks to a few food-loving citizens and our Australian counterparts, Kuching people can now enjoy this wonderful meat. The beef can be prepared as steak, sukiyaki, shabu shabu, sashimi, teppanyaki. You can find them in Kuching top hotels and a Japanese restaurant.

Wagyu beef is fairly easy to prepare. Throw them in a hot pan and the meat will gently melt before your eyes. To enjoy its natural si-bay-nap flavour, I suggest you get them fresh from the butcher* as soon as they arrived from Australia...

*...at Choice Daily, Stutong. Now please form an orderly queue. Or else...