Business & Tech

Think You've Had Kobe Beef? Think Again.

Forbes claims that all Kobe beef in the United States is inauthentic.

Sorry foodies, it turns out that unless you've traveled to Japan, there's no way you've eaten real Kobe beef. Not even if you've ordered it from , or .

According to a recent Forbes report, "you cannot buy Japanese Kobe beef in this country. Not in stores, not by mail, and certainly not in restaurants."

There are domestic imitations that come from the Midwest, Great Plains, South America and Australia, but Forbes reports that since 2010 is has been illegal to import or hand carry Japanese beef. And before that year, "you could import only boneless fresh Japanese beef, but none was real Kobe."

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Real Kobe comes from the Hyogo prefecture, where Kobe is the capital. There are only about 3000 Kobe cattle in the world, and according to Forbes, all sold Kobe beef "must carry the 10-digit identification number so customers know what particular Tajima-gyu cow it came from."

Yet still, in Capitola-Soquel, , and have all had Kobe beef on their menus in the recent past. 

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Cafe Cruz lists theirs as an "American Kobe burger" on the happy hour menu.

So yes, there are other kinds of beef that are called Kobe. None are currently playing the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the NBA Playoffs and none are put through the standards of the real thing. 

In a follow-up to their original story, Forbes compared the U.S. imitation to a "domestic Swiss watch" or a Japanese version of "domestic Florida orange juice."

So what's the point? Forbes (predictably, it's Forbes after all) says it's all about money.

"The bottom line is that the only reason there is beef called Kobe beef sold in this country is because our government lets vendors call a lot of things Kobe beef," columnist Larry Olmstead wrote. "But the reason consumers buy it is because the cattle industry in Kobe spent lifetimes building a reputation for excellence, a reputation that has essentially been stolen."

So what do you think? Do you feel duped? Are you a fan of the American Kobe beef? Have you tried it at local restaurants? Tell us in the comments!

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