High quality taste to impress the most discerning connoisseur
Exquisite Taste that Impresses the Most Discerning Connoisseur
World-Class Works of Art
Matsusaka Beef
Matsusaka beef is produced from Japanese Black Wagyu heifers that are fattened in designated areas for long periods of time. The cows are strictly monitored and bred using a unique individual management system. Depending on the farm, the cows are fed beer to stimulate their appetites, carefully massaged and groomed, and raised lavishly and with great care—until they can practically be considered works of art. The fat in Matsusaka beef has an astonishingly low melting point, so the beef can actually start melting in the palm of your hand. The result is a finely marbled beef with a rich yet mellow superb taste.
Gifts from the Bountiful Ocean
A Treasure Protected by the Local Community
Spiny Lobster
With its many reefs, the Kumano Sea is teeming with shellfish, sea urchins, and other creatures that lobsters prey upon. Spiny lobsters grow up being buffeted by the rough waves, so their flesh becomes firm and when eaten raw as sashimi, the meat has a springy texture and refined sweetness that fills the mouth with each bite. The lobster’s beautiful and gallant appearance and relatively long lifespan have made it a symbol of long life. Since long ago, it has been an indispensable ingredient in religious rituals and on auspicious occasions. Mie Prefecture has put restrictions on the fishing period and lobster length in order to maintain a stable lobster population and to protect the local lobster industry.
A Delicacy Loved by Locals
Genuine Flavor Passed Down for Generations
Iga Beef
Areas with wide ranges of temperature and plenty of clean water are considered ideal for raising beef cattle. Iga, which is located in a basin, fulfills both of these conditions, and has long been known as a production center for fine-quality cattle. Approximately 80% of the painstakingly produced Iga beef is consumed in the local area, making it a delicacy not easily acquired outside Iga. The appeal of Iga beef is in the robust aroma and taste created from the exquisite balance of marbling and the taste of the red meat. Iga beef is believed to have its origins in the Warring States period (1467-1568), when Iga ninja used dried beef as preserved food and for portable provisions.
Nature’s Crowning Achievement
Fine Quality Meat that has Enthralled Top Chefs
Kumano Chicken
With the goal of producing Japan’s most delicious, high-grade chicken, the Mie Prefecture Livestock Research Institute developed the Kumano chicken, a hybrid that combined the best qualities of other birds. The chickens are given stress-free open spaces to roam, and are fed highly safe antibiotic-free feed, supplemented with local rice from a paddy selected as one of the 100 Best Rice Terraces in Japan. They are indeed raised enjoying the blessings of their natural surroundings. As a result, Kumano chicken has an exquisite suppleness and rich flavor that has enthralled top chefs, restaurants, and food connoisseurs.
