Kobe beef

Marbled Japanese meat

Kobe beef is premium Japanese beef from Tajima cattle raised in Hyōgo Prefecture around the city of Kobe.

The meat is prized for its intense marbling—thin streaks of fat distributed throughout the muscle—which produces exceptional tenderness and flavor.

Strict certification requirements limit authentic Kobe beef, making it rare and expensive.

Much of what's sold as Kobe beef outside Japan is mislabeled or uses the name loosely: The menu claimed Kobe beef, but it was probably just high-grade American wagyu.

Opposites
meat quality and prestige

Kobe beefmystery meat

Unidentifiable cafeteria food

pink slime · ground beef · ground chuck · tube steak

food luxury and exclusivity

Kobe beefbologna

Seasoned cooked sausage, sliced

Vienna sausages · canned meat · hot dog · hot dogs · TV dinner

Family

beef, beefy, beefs, beefing, roast beef, beefed, corned beef, Kobe, beefcake

Familiarity
Top 200,000
Profile
Used worldwide · Timeless · Concrete · Positive · Everyday, not technical · Rated G