Kobe beefnoun · 20th century
Well attestedThe cattle are not from Kobe; the foreigners who ate them were.
Tajima cattle come from the rural north of Hyogo Prefecture, but the beef reached Western diners through Kobe, the port opened to foreign residents in 1868, and took the port's name rather than the herd's. Only a few thousand carcasses qualify each year, so most Kobe beef sold outside Japan is something else entirely.
Named for a product of the placeRead →