NEW YORK: The Japan External Trade Organization, or JETRO, has launched a “wagyu” course in cooperation with a US university to introduce cooking methods using various parts of Japanese beef and promote consumption.

Japan’s beef exports to the United States tripled to about 9.1 billion yen in 2022 from three years before, driven by a boom in branded wagyu, including marbled Kobe beef, according to Japan’s agriculture ministry.

But the popularity of Japanese beef has been limited to major cities such as New York and Los Angeles, and its demand has been cooling.

The slowdown is partly due to a dietary habit of using only limited parts of the beef, such as the sirloin for steak.

The wagyu course was opened as part of collaboration between JETRO and Drexel University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, which offers a culinary arts program.

Around 50 people, including students and chefs, have taken part in the course to learn how to prepare dishes using beef shoulder loin and shank, which are popular in Japan. “A special technique is required to butcher marbled wagyu,” a meat industry official said.

The course is scheduled to run until early next month. The organizers are considering offering a similar course next year and beyond.

“If many restaurants in the United States serve wagyu not only as steak but in various other ways and use more parts of it, consumption will increase,” a JETRO official said.

JIJI Press