When it comes to cuts of meat, there are few sights that raise expectations like the marbling of a prime cut of wagyu beef. Brands like Kobe and Matsuzaka are already household names in Japan, and increasingly consumers and chefs the world over are buying into the luxury meat, with import bans lifted on wagyu headed for the European Union and the United States in recent years.
In 2014, Japan exported 1,251 tons of beef worldwide, and there are plans to up that quota to 4,000 tons by 2020.
Of course, the marbled marvel comes at a price. Top-grade A5 cuts — a label strictly reserved only for beef that exhibits superlative color, texture, firmness and, of course, is shot through with ribbons of fat — can reach eye-watering prices. The Las Vegas Nobu restaurant inside Caesars Palace offers a seven-course banquet of such A5 cuts that will set you back a startling $688, an example of the conspicuous luxury that wagyu has come to represent across the globe.