Wagyu

The lavishly-marbled Wagyu beef is a luxury protein that nothing compares with. This tender meat is so precious that it melts like butter and as decadent as fine wine. Once you've had this, other steaks seem downright stingy in their leanness.

At first, those fine white veins of fat may seem shocking, but compared to regular beef, wagyu actually contains higher levels of Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids, which help reduce the risk of heart disease.

There are four breeds of wagyu: Japanese Black (Kuroge washu), Japanese Brown (Akage Washu or Akaushi), Japanese Polled (Mukaku Washu), and Japanese Shorthorn (Nihon Tankaku Washu).

Wagyu are usually prepared as steak with the usual salt and pepper seasoning. Some Japanese dishes have it marinated with a special ingredient from teriyaki to other sauces before it is seared medium-well. It can be eaten raw and dipped in soy sauce. How about dry-aged wagyu beef?