Japanese embassy holds seminar on Wagyu beef

The Japanese embassy organised a Wagyu Seminar and Tasting event in Doha on Saturday to seek potential investment opportunities in the Qatari food market as part of the two countries’ efforts to promote the prospects of co-operation, as agreed upon during the visit of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani to Japan in January. The event was attended by a number of Arab and foreign ambassadors accredited to Qatar as well as persons concerned from the food industry and restaurant business in the country, the embassy said in a statement. The seminar started with a presentation on the genuine Japanese beef, known as Wagyu, which is gaining popularity worldwide for its “delicious taste and high quality”. The presentation was made by Namba, president of the Japan Wagyu Beef Export Promotion Committee. In his presentation, the official explained the three important qualities that differentiate Wagyu from other lean beef. The first quality is that all Japanese Wagyu cattle have been registered by their bloodlines, and so pure bloodlines have been maintained over many generations. The second quality is that the meat texture is smooth on the tongue thanks to the soft and fine muscle fibres in the meat and the marbled fats, he said, adding that the third quality is the sweet aroma similar to coconut flavour that can be smelled when the meat is heated.  During the event, Wagyu assorted dishes were offered to the attendees who expressed their admiration for the soft meat and its rich sweet aroma, the statement added.