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Obanazawa Beef

Cattle farmers have been raising and conducting research on Japanese Black beef cattle in Obanazawa for more than a century to create one of Yamagata Prefecture’s premium brands of wagyu beef. In recent years, some 20 farmers raise more than 8,000 head of cattle under the Obanazawa Beef brand, providing high-quality meat to shops and restaurants across the country.

Obanazawa is in a basin surrounded by the Ou Mountains, a source of abundant fresh water. As one of the snowiest regions in Japan, its winters are long and harsh. Summers are relatively short, hot, and sunny, with a significant temperature difference between day and night. These conditions are ideal for raising healthy cattle with a naturally high fat content.

The Japanese Meat Grading Association evaluates beef on two metrics: yield grade, which measures the proportion of beef obtained from cattle, and meat quality, which is determined by the color, texture, and marbling (the intramuscular fat) of the beef, as well as other factors. The yield grade is ranked ascending from C to A, and meat quality is ranked ascending from 1 to 5. To be sold as Obanazawa Beef, cattle must not only be raised within the city limits but also achieve a rank of 3 or higher. Among Obanazawa Beef brands, yukifuri wagyu is the premium product.

Yukifuri (literally “snowfall”) wagyu is named for its melt-in-the-mouth quality, likened to Obanazawa’s soft powder snow. Yukifuri wagyu has three key characteristics:

• High fat content, essential for well-marbled beef;
• Only young heifers that have not birthed calves are used, to preserve the tenderness of the meat; and
• Cattle are raised for 32 months to develop a suitable amount of oleic acid, a naturally occurring fatty acid that makes meat juicier and richer in flavor.

尾花澤牛肉 (Web)

尾花澤市的養牛戶飼養、研究日本黑毛和牛的時間已逾百年，並將「尾花澤牛」打造成山形縣的高級和牛品牌之一。近年來，約20位養牛戶以尾花澤牛肉為品牌共飼養了8,000多頭牛，向全國商店和餐廳提供高品質的牛肉。

尾花澤市地處奧羽山脈環抱的盆地，擁有豐富的清水資源，此地也是日本降雪量最多的地區之一，冬季漫長而嚴寒，夏季則相對短暫，天氣炎熱且陽光充足，晝夜溫差很大。上述理想條件，讓尾花澤市能夠飼養出天生脂肪含量高的健康牛隻。

日本食肉評級協會根據兩項指標來評定牛肉：一項是步留等級（產肉量），即衡量可從牛身上取得的食用肉比例；另一項是肉質等級，由牛肉的色澤、質感和霜降度（肌內脂肪）及其他因素決定。步留等級從等級最高到最低分為A到C級，肉質等級則從等級最高到最低分為5到1級。只有在尾花澤市內所飼養的牛隻，能以尾花澤牛的品牌名義來販售，而且肉質等級必須達到3級以上，而在尾花澤牛品牌中，「雪降和牛」是最高級的肉品。

「雪降（字面意思是「降雪」）和牛」彷彿會在口中融化，就像尾花澤市柔軟的粉雪，因而獲得「霜降」的美稱。「霜降」和牛有三個主要特徵：

• 脂肪含量高，這對油花分布均勻的霜降牛肉來說是必要條件；
• 為確保肉質鮮嫩，只選擇未曾生產過小牛的年輕母牛；此外，
• 牛隻應飼養滿32個月，才能形成適量的油酸。油酸是一種天然脂肪酸，能使牛肉更多汁，口感更加豐富。

尾花泽牛肉 (Web)

100年来，在尾花泽市的养牛户一直饲养和研究日本黑毛和牛。“尾花泽牛”是山形县高档牛肉品牌之一。近年来，约有20位农民以尾花泽牛肉为品牌饲养了8000多头牛，为日本全国各地的商店和餐厅提供高品质牛肉。

尾花泽市地处奥羽山脉环抱的盆地，山水资源非常丰富。作为日本降雪量最多的地区之一，这里的冬季漫长而严酷。夏季则相对短暂，但天气炎热、阳光充足，昼夜温差很大等环境都是饲养高脂肪含量的健康牛的理想条件。

日本食肉评级协会根据两项指标来评定牛肉：一个是产肉率，即衡量从牛身上取得的可食用肉比例；另一个是肉质等级，即衡量牛肉的色泽、质感和霜降状态（肌内脂肪）等程度。产肉率从C到A依次递增，肉质等级则从1到5依次递增。如果使用“尾花泽牛”名称出售，除了牛要在尾花泽市内饲养以外，还要满足其肉质等级3级以上的条件。在尾花泽牛肉品牌中，“雪降”和牛是最优质的肉品。

“雪降”（字面意思是“降雪”）因其在口中融化的特质而得名，正如尾花泽市柔软的粉雪。“雪降”和牛有三个重要特点：

• 脂肪含量高，这对于高质量的霜降牛肉来说必不可少；
• 只使用未产犊的年轻母牛，以保持肉质鲜嫩；
• 牛应饲养满32个月，以形成适量的油酸。油酸是一种天然产生的脂肪酸，可使牛肉更多汁，口感更醇厚。