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December/Januar y 2023 X MAGAZINE particularly valuable characteristics, which are now known and exported to restaurants all over the world. Here are the most widespread. Wagyu (Japan) Wagyu (Japan) means ‘Japanese beef’ and comprises several breeds of cattle. The most prized ones have meat that is marbled due to the high content of intramuscular unsaturated fats (this is due to breed selection and nutrition), aromatic and sweet. It is precisely the marbling that makes the flesh so soft and tasty. 90% of the wagyu that is bred is Kuroge breed, but there are also Akage, Tankaku and Mukaku. Today, this type of meat is also bred in other countries, including Italy. One type of Wagyu is Kobe beef. Cuts : tenderloin, sirloin, rib-eye, mainly, but shoulder, chuck, rump, short plate, ribs, shank, loin, top round, short loin and flank are also available. American Angus (USA) American Angus (USA) beef breed derived from the Scottish Aberdeen Angus with black coat (Black Angus). Since 1978 the Certified Angus Beef label indicates meat that meets certain quality standards. Bred in the United States since the end of the 19th century, it is characterised by its tenderness guaranteed by the marbling of its fat. Cuts : Rib-eye, T-bone (containing small fillet and sirloin), Porterhouse (if the fillet is as large as the sirloin) Preparation : Quick grill and oven-cooked Hereford (UK and Ireland) Hereford (UK and Ireland) among the oldest English breeds is now reared in 120 countries and is considered the highest quality marbled beef in the world. It has a russet to red coat and white muzzle, is suitable for grazing and the meat is very low in saturated fat and tender. Preparation : stews, roasts, curries, steaks Rubia Gallega (Spain) Rubia Gallega (Spain) breed of cattle with a blond coat (rubio) reared exclusively in Galicia. The creamy, golden fat imparts flavour and tenderness. Rib cuts, tenderloin, sirloin, lomo (muscle next to the spine and below the ribs) Processing : grill Argentine beef (Argentina) Argentine beef (Argentina) the country’s meat among the largest per capita consumers (89 kg per year behind only the USA and Australia) is considered among the best in the world thanks to the selection of the best European breeds (Angus and Hereford) that have been grazing freely in the Pampas for centuries. It is vacuum-packed by means of thermal shrinkage, which allows a long shelf life under conditions that respect the cold chain (around 1°C). Cuts : Bife de lomo (tenderloin), Entraña (skirt steak), Asado de tira (short rib), Vacío (flank steak), Bife de chorizo (sirloin) Preparation : charcoal or open fire to be turned once Polish Beef (Poland) Polish Beef ( Poland) Meat with a strong taste with notes derived from grazing and a sweetness given by the feed that includes sugar beets. It has a good degree of marbling and an excellent price/quality ratio. Particularly valuable is the Red Krowa , bred in northern Poland where it grazes on mineral- and cereal-rich meadows and is known for its rib. It has dense marbling and a dark red colour. Processing : plate and grill Pluma iberica (Spain) Pluma iberica (Spain) this cut is obtained from the front part of the loin of the Iberian pig also used to prepare the famous Pata negra ham (from the colour of its legs). It has a triangular shape and is extremely lean and tender, with a nutty flavour due to the natural (acorn-based) nutrition provided by free-range grazing. Cuts : Pluma, Secreto and Presa the most prized. Preparation : pan, grill Limousine (France) Limousine (France) originating from Limousin, is a very old breed, belonging to that group of European ‘red breeds’ that have grazed the grasslands of the Old Continent for millennia. Robust and adaptable to various climates, it has benefited from breed selection since the late 19th century. The meat has a particularly fine and lean texture, which is, however, accompanied by good tenderness. It has little loss of volume and weight during cooking. Similar characteristics are found in the Charolais . Cuts : chops, tenderloin, sirloin, shoulder, neck, flank steak Processing : grill, barbecue, roast beef