Olive Beef
Olive farming first came to Japan in 1908, when the Ministry of Agriculture and Commerce imported seedlings from America to be grown on an experimental basis in Mie, Kagawa, and Kagoshima Prefectures. Only those grown on Shodshima Island in Kagawa flourished successfully, and the olive tree became the official tree and flower of Kagawa.
The history of raising cattle for beef dates back seven hundred years in Sanuki, the old name for Kagawa. And in the Meiji period, Kagawa was the first prefecture to raise Japanese beef commercially, known as Sanuki wagyu (Japanese beef from Sanuki). This dish soon became very popular throughout Japan.
Now the Sanuki ushi are fed on the lees that remain after the olives are pressed for oil. Japanese black cattle from Kagawa, known as Sanuki ushi, that are raised for at least two months on this feed are referred to as “olive cattle.” The olive lees contain a lot of oleic acid, which prevents the meat from oxidizing and also makes it tender and flavorful. Oleic acid is also very healthy. Olive cattle have been awarded many major prizes in Japan, including a special prize for the quality of the fat, and interest in them is growing rapidly abroad.
Please see the Olive Beef official website for further information about olive beef: