🥩 Kobe Beef Steak

‘Kobe Beef Steak', grilled beef on an iron plate flavored with salt and pepper and served with steak sauce or mustard, is famous overseas, too. Actually, however, there is no breed called ‘Kobe beef'. Kobe beef is actually ‘Tajima Ushi', grown in Tajima Area in Hyogo Prefecture. We designate ‘Tajima Ushi' beef as ‘Kobe Beef' when ‘Tajima Ushi' grown in Hyogo Prefecture was slaughtered at slaughtering centers in the prefecture and meets the strict standards. ‘Tajima Ushi' was originally used for agricultural purposes in Tajima area, facing the Japan Sea. It became well-known as ‘Kobe Beef' because Yokohama Port opened in 1859. Beef was originally imported for foreign visitors to Japan, but 30~40 of ‘Tajima Ushi' was sold per one foreign ship at Kobe Port and sent to Yokohama Port as it wasn't enough. ‘Tajima Ushi' got favorable reputation among foreigners, then it became widespread as ‘Kobe Beef'. After Kobe Port was open, habit of eating beef started prevailing. In addition, there were many farms build in Yabu-gun Ueno-mura and Shitsumi-gun Ohzasa-mura to increase breeding the beef, and Toyooka City and Hyogo Prefecture supported it.