Kobe Beef is Only from Hyogo Prefecture

This looks and reads amazing. Kobe Beef isn’t what you think it is since of late, there is Kobe beef on menus in the US. Is the beef imported from Hyogo Prefecture? I doubt it. Is it one of the 3000 heads of cattle that qualifies as Kobe Beef, no. Is it a burger? Yes, I’ve seen Kobe Beef burgers. No. According to Japan Today, Kobe Beef has limits. Here’s their quote:

“To obtain Kobe certification, the cows must be born, raised and slaughtered in Hyogo Prefecture, and the meat is never exported.

Only around 3,000 heads qualify as Kobe grade annually, with each animal yielding about 400 kilos of beef.”

So what are we seeing on menus that say Kobe Beef? Although it’s not the great news source, Wikipedia does have a part of the entry labelled “Kobe Style Beef” and although that’s something we don’t see on menus as often as “Kobe Beef” now we know that “Kona Style Coffee” isn’t Kona Coffee. (Japan Today – Kobe Beef)