近江牛
近江牛は滋賀県のブランド和牛で、きめ細かい霜降りと柔らかさ、芳醇な香り、甘みとコクのある味わいが特徴である。神戸牛、松阪牛と並ぶ日本三大和牛の一つに数えられ、400年の歴史を持つ日本最古の牛肉ブランドである。19世紀後半以前は、仏教のタブーにより肉食はほとんど禁止されていた。近江の国（現在の滋賀県）だけが屠殺用の牛の飼育を許されており、太鼓用の牛皮や味噌漬けの薬用牛肉が提供されていた。
近江牛の良さは、牛を育てる環境にもある。滋賀県には豊富な水と広い牧草地があり、畜産業に適した温暖な気候である。また、近江牛の飼育頭数を限定することで、健康や衛生面にも気を配っている。地元の稲わらを食べさせ、肉牛の平均が2歳であるのに対し、3、4歳で屠殺する。
Omi Beef
Omi beef is a brand of wagyu from Shiga Prefecture noted for its fine marbling, tenderness, mellow aroma, and sweet, rich taste. It is counted as one of the top three Japanese wagyu brands alongside Kobe and Matsusaka beef, and its 400-year history makes it the oldest brand in the country. Eating meat was largely forbidden prior to the late nineteenth century because of the Buddhist taboo against consuming animal flesh. Raising cattle for slaughter was permitted only in the province of Omi (now Shiga Prefecture), which provided the shogunate with cowhides for drums and beef marinated in miso paste. (The meat was said to have medicinal qualities.)
The quality of Omi beef is in large part due to the environment in which the cattle are raised. Shiga has spacious pastures, plenty of fresh water, and a temperate climate considered ideal for livestock farming. The number of Omi beef cattle is also kept limited so that sufficient care can be given to maximize the animals’ health and maintain a hygienic environment. The animals are fed local rice straw and slaughtered only when they are 3 or 4 years old, as opposed to the beef cattle average of 2 years.
