Akaushi Don: The Leaner Side of Wagyu

A different kind of wagyu

The beef had browned edges and deeply pink centres. It was very rare, reminding me of tataki—meat seared on the outside.

It was tender without being particularly fatty—exactly the combination I liked.

Akaushi literally means “red cattle,” a reference to their reddish-brown coats. Kumamoto’s akaushi belong to the Japanese Brown breed of wagyu, known for relatively lean meat and moderate marbling. They are the minority: more than nine in ten wagyu are Japanese Black, the breed best known for heavy marbling.

There is a little landscape behind that distinction. Around Mount Aso, in the middle of Kyushu, some 22,000 hectares of grassland have been kept open for over a thousand years by spring burning, grazing and mowing. Without that work, much of it would have turned to forest. The cattle are part of the maintenance crew. Kumamoto’s akaushi were bred with that pasture and rough forage in mind, rather than with marbling as the only measure of success.

The egg earns its place

The slightly sweet sauce suited the beef, and the onsen egg—gently cooked, with a soft white and rich yolk—added a creamy texture. Wasabi brought a sharp contrast. The small green mound was not there merely to improve the colour scheme.

The beef needed no extra marbling. For everything else, there was a chicken quietly contributing to the project.