Wagyu cattle were originally bred in Japan – thanks to limited movement, a long, slow fattening process and special feed rations, the meat has very distinctive marbling. "And because the fat is the carrier of the taste, steaks made from this beef are renowned all over the world," explains Vlasta Lacina, when we meet at Amaso in Jenč, to witness the "premiere" cutting of the first half of this delicacy.

The head of Amaso observes the distinctive marbling of each part as he works. Occasionally, he cuts off a small piece and tastes it. Just like that – raw. Radek Chaloupka, manager of Naše maso, wasn’t about to miss out on the action either –he arrived alongside a colleague, thus completing the team of butchers. "We have a 36-month-old steer here. He came from the Krontorád family farm in Sloupnice near Litomyšl. Their daughter Jana Kubištová worked at La Degustation Bohême Bourgeoise, and it was a discussion between her and Olda Sahajdák that put the thought of breeding wagyu in our minds. The piece we are processing now has 50% wagyu and 50% angus in it. But the Krontoráds already have purebreds, too," says Vlasta, describing how he acquired this rare animal for Amaso. 

Waste not, want not

They tried to process a piece in Jenč a year ago, but as Vlasta Lacina says, it did not yet meet all the requirements. In the case of the current steer, he and the farmers decided to castrate it, and for the last six months it was fed a special, carbohydrate-rich mixture to increase fat and to allow it to settle in the intermuscular fibres. And, the butchers agree, the result is worth it.

"Each lot is toughened differently, but this meat already matches our expectations. We'll see what it does when we put it in the pan and on the grill. But the potential we see in it now after it has been broken down is great," Vlasta Lacina can’t hide his excitement, and cuts a sample for Radek Chaloupka from each piece he thinks could be used for steak. Testing at Naše maso took place in June 2016, and the meat has been on sale there ever since.

"We started to work on the front quarter – a piece of a tall spit, part of the neck. This is the neck fillet – completely lean in a normal animal, but here it’s nicely marbled. We don't normally use the other parts for steaks either, but I can see it working here. The meat is much more tender and juicy," explains Vlasta.

He also shows me a rib eye steak, shoulder round, flank and flap steaks, adding a short commentary to each cut. He continually consults with his colleagues on how to process the beef and which way to cut to get the most out of the meat.

"We're thinking about how we're going to deal with gristle and cuts like that. These are meats that contain collagen, and are normally suitable for braising, boiling and roasting under a lid. We'll have to play around with that," he muses aloud. After processing, the lean cuts of the hind go into a box of beef for tartare, and Radek Chaloupka uses some of the marbled pieces of the forequarter to prepare special burgers for Naše maso.

"A kilo of meat for burgers is worth about six hundred crowns," estimates Radek Chaloupka – answering the question of why butchers work with surgical precision. "In total, this piece is worth around two hundred and fifty thousand," notes Vlasta Lacina, pointing to the hanging torso that has been maturing here for almost fifty days.

An experience to savour

The butchers pay attention to literally every bite. When Vlasta Lacina cooks a sirloin, he says: "This is the most precious thing for most people. But if you ask me, I’d go for a rib steak or t-bone” nodding towards two pieces of meat with a typical bone. Eventually, it comes to the rump. Piece by piece, Vlasta shows me each cut, and together with Radek Chaloupka, make a plan for its use. A taste test shows the meat to be beautifully tender.

Whilst he works, Vlasta Lacina recalls the first time he tasted wagyu. "That was years ago! We brought it back from Germany. A piece this big, maybe two or three kilos... We paid about twelve thousand for it. But it was amazing. They say, "Good things are few and far between. But you should definitely try wagyu. It's an experience," he stresses.

The meatpacking is coming to an end, and it's numbers time. Vlasta and his colleagues carefully weigh and record each piece. Only testing will reveal which lots will be offered in restaurants and at Naše maso for steak.

"These are still early days. If the customer response is positive, we would like to process a piece and work with it once every two months. It's new to all of us, but we have high hopes for it," concludes Vlasta Lacina.

The path to purebred animals was through the importation of frozen embryos from a US-Japanese farm, resulting in the establishment of a purebred herd.

At the same time, the farm chose a second breeding method which is used across the world – crossing wagyu with the aberdeen angus breed. In the US market, it’s called 'American wagyu (kobe style beef)'.

Wagyu calves are very viable at birth, weighing around 30 to 35 kg. They spend their first nine months on pasture with their mother and are fed exclusively on her milk and grass. In the next stage of life, the calf's diet consists mainly of hay, cereal meal and mineral supplements.

It is only later that their feed is varied to allow the exceptional qualities of the meat to come to the fore: unprecedented juiciness and tenderness.