Some of the steak dishes coming out of Asia are so highly sought after, and it's hard to believe that Asian steak culture is a relatively new phenomenon. Mashed spoke with writer Mark Schatzker author of "Steak: One Man's Search for the World's Tastiest Piece of Beef" to learn more about steak's history in the East. "The Japanese ... renowned for their superbly marbled wagyu beef, he only been raising beef cattle seriously for less than a century," Schatzker explained.
Eating beef in Japan was almost unheard of until the Meiji period when the culinary influences of foreign traders took the nation by storm. Emperor Meiji himself started eating beef in the 1870s. Japanese people also believed that beef consumption improved their physical strength.
And then there's wagyu. According to Schatzker, "Unlike most breeds of cattle, wagyu he truly distinctive genetic traits that affect the eating experience. They marble incredibly well, and the fat has more monounsaturated oleic acid, which gives it a lower melting temperature and sweet taste. These traits are best expressed when wagyu cattle are raised slowly and processed after their second birthday."
In South Korea, thinly sliced, marinated beef has been eaten since the Joseon dynasty (beginning in 1392), however, it was reserved for royalty back then. Bulgogi beef (which translates to fire meat) started popping up in restaurants in the 1920s. Today, Korean barbeque spots enjoy widespread popularity in the U.S. and beyond.