The wagyu expedition: How Japan broadened our horizons

Amaso: Guaranteed quality meat

Amaso works alongside Czech breeders of Přeštice Black-Pied pigs and Czech Fleckvieh cattle. At their plant in Jenč, just outside Prague, butchers process the meat, curing it using both wet and dry methods. They also craft sausage products following recipes from the first republic. You'll find all of this at the Naše maso butchers' shop, or at Kantýna.

Tomáš, why did Czech butchers go to Japan for inspiration?

The answer is clear - to broaden horizons. The reason for our trip this time was wagyu beef which Amaso gets once a month from a Czech farmer. We wanted to get to know the different approach of the Japanese and see how they handle the meat from processing to serving, so that we could learn to work with it better in our conditions.

We toured restaurants and butcher shops in Tokyo and Kyoto, but we also went to the Torikai Chikusan farm, where they raise a breed of tottori wagyu. The breeders answered a lot of questions and dispelled all kinds of myths. it is said that Japanese farmers regularly massage their cattle, feed them sake and beer or play classical music. We verified that these are just superstitions.

So what is the quality of Japanese wagyu?

After one visit, we are no experts, but from what we were able to glean, two insights emerge. The quality of the meat is primarily influenced by the purity of the breed - there are several genetic lines surviving in Japan from which all cattle there are descended. This explains why nowhere else in the world can such a result be achieved. In Australia, America or Europe, it is mostly wagyu crosses that are bred.

Another factor is the way they are bred. We have learnt how the stress of the animal plays a major role. That is why breeders create the most natural conditions for the animal to live in, even though the cattle are not on pasture. On the farm, they emphasised community and love - the calf stays with its mother for ten months and then grows up in the herd nearby, so they are always together. Of course, the quality of the feed is also influential - they mix it with buckwheat, corn and wheat. To the grain they add vitamins and fresh hay from the surrounding area, but also buckwheat hulls for fibre.

How is working with meat different in Japan and here?

Western culture has become accustomed to aged or aged meat, while the Japanese butcher and butcher the animal three days after slaughter and send it straight to the market. They claim that after two weeks, wagyu is at its tastiest.

In the butchers' shops, we noticed the huge slicers and the specific style of butchering. All parts are usually sliced very thinly, we never encountered a steak thicker than a centimetre. This is matched by the presentation, where the meat is only slightly heated on a yakiniku or yakitori grill, usually in front of the guest. Thus, in all establishments we tasted the opposite of the classic tall steaks.

Where did you like it best?

My personal favourite was Hiyama Butchery in Tokyo. We first explored the shop on the ground floor, and when we went up one floor, we found ourselves in a traditional dining room. We ordered sukiyaki, sat down at a large table and watched a lady prepare slice after slice of meat from various from different parts of the wagyu. It was unbelievably good and I think that's where the idea of building a restaurant above the planned butcher shop in Holešovice market was conceived.

We do not intend to open a Japanese restaurant, but a place where we would use Japanese techniques and continue to improve in the processing of Czech meat. Now we have testing ahead of us. First of all, we want to order an industrial slicer and try out a different way of cutting wagyu. The guys from Naše maso are already figuring out how to incorporate Japanese-style wagyu into the menu. But at the same time we are looking to the future and debating about culinary quality.

What exactly do you mean by that?

Our long-term dream is to define quality parameters that would define the quality of meat from a culinary point of view. Many developed countries already have a similar evaluation system. In Japan, the meat is rated A, B or C after slaughter and the fat content is numbered from one to five. Chefs in this country need something like this too.

Although there are quality grades on the Czech market, these are mainly for farming and breeding purposes. For example, a dairy breed is known to be less suitable for breeding for meat because it has a low growth rate, unlike breeds that have a faster growth rate of lean meat. However, none of this is indicative of what the meat will be like in the pot or on the plate.

Mohlo by vás zajímat

Premium meat and farm-to-fork relationships: The story of wagyu from Torikai Chikusan farm

From Tottori, all the way to Prague. Have you sampled a steak, or even just a slice?

So what is the chef guided by?

We select meat according to our internal rules. We consider where the animal comes from, what it has been fattened on and the conditions it has lived in. We also ask about its age and breed composition and, of course, we are interested in whether the meat is from a heifer, a cow or a steer. We are concerned with conformation and fat content, pH value and so on, but we lack a mapped culinary perspective, which is crucial for both our restaurants and our guests. We should be able to differentiate quality, to categorise it in terms of the sensory and nutritional value of the meat. I am sure that we will get there, but there is still an unexplored road ahead.

Why are the Japanese one step ahead?

I think farmers have a big part to play. Their efforts don't stop with looking after the animal and then selling it to the buyers. Many farmers also run a factory, shop or restaurant where they present their products, or at least package them beautifully and distribute them directly to the customer. In this way, they control the entire cycle of the raw material and therefore the quality of the products. This may not be true for the whole of Japan, but we have met farmers who farm this way - and they could inspire Czech farmers in many ways.

It was not your first time in Japan. Is there anything else to surprise you?

Absolutely! Next time I would like to visit a few more farms and explore other regions to get a really objective idea of wagyu. But inspiration is everywhere, you just have to keep an open mind. Over time, you start to believe you know the truth. At that point he should go away and see otherwise.

On the other side of the globe, you suddenly realise that things can be done in a completely different way, and that it's still the right thing to do. I remind myself every time how important humility is, respect for knowledge, but also that it is constantly evolving. We cannot rely on tradition just because it has been with us for hundreds of years. Our ancestors may have been wrong, just as we may be wrong today. Experience needs to be updated.