Sexism remains a serious social problem in Japan. Even in the world of Japanese Wagyu, a gender is preferred to the other, but in this case, female is the favored gender.
A vast majority of Wagyu meat produced in Japan is either from heifers (young virgin females) or steers (castrated males). Between the two, heifers are more highly prized for their tenderness and silky texture.
Just like humans, the Wagyu males tend to be more masculine, so the meat feels slightly tougher and chewier. Uncastrated bulls also have an overpoweringly gamey taste, which is shunned by consumers. You will almost never see the meat of an uncastrated Wagyu bull being sold anywhere. A limited number of genetically superior bulls are used for reproductive purposes only.
The females, on the other hand, have more evenly distributed fat throughout their muscles. The fat exhibit itself in the form of shimofuri, the Japanese word used to describe highly intricate marbling.The texture of the meat is finer and tastes more tender. The high level of oleic acid, a type of unsaturated fatty acid, also reduces the melting temperature of the meat to create the melt-in-your-mouth sensation. In fact, the melting temperature of most Japanese Wagyu produced today is so low that it begins melting away in room temperature before even reaching the pan or your mouth.
For these reasons, Wagyu heifers are generally the most treasured type of Wagyu. Two of the three major Wagyu brands, Matsusaka Gyu and Yonezawa Gyu, require their meat to come only from heifers that satisfy certain standards.
For Wagyu farmers, however, it is more economical to raise males because they usually grow bigger faster, and thus generate more meat per animal. Steers are created to achieve a taste and texture similar to those of the heifer but provide the farmers with more yield.
Cows that have borne calves are also consumed less frequently than heifers or steers, but there is an increasing demand both domestically in Japan and internationally for mama Wagyu cows by people who prefer a stronger beefy taste for their meat.
Want to know more about how the gender and age of Wagyu affect your dish? Have a chat with one of our passionate Wagyu Sommeliers.
* Photo by Luke Thornton on Unsplash