Kobe beef is world famous and desired in the world of gastronomy. Its marbled meat, very marbled, incredibly tender to the point that it melts in the mouth, makes amateurs all over the world salivate. The fashion arrived in Europe and the United States about ten years ago when Japan authorized its export. The greatest chefs flocked to it like thousands of migrants to gold in America in the last century. I have another proposal for you. More local, sustainable. A little less snobby too.

Animal feed has a significant influence on the taste quality of meat. It is a key factor. Kobe beef is no exception to this rule. Cattle are fed fresh grass and milk for the first seven months. Then it's a diet based on cereals and rice straw. Any stories about massages or classical music are of less importance.

In Saint-Martin-de-Commune, we make our cows taste the good grass from the farm's meadows. My cows are raised in the open air and enjoy the meadows from April to November. In winter, hay, cereals and rapeseed meal grown on our plots. For more than a year, we have been supplementing this diet with a process that is both virtuous and interesting from a nutritional point of view.

It is a story of Jean-Claude(s). Jean-Claude is my partner on the farm. But I have a partnership with another Jean-Claude, that of Brasserie de France, in Beaune, for the production of my beers. When brewing a beer, the grains are mixed and crushed with hot water. Once the wort has been filtered, there remain the residues of the cereals. This is called spent grain. A particularly protein-rich material, rich in fibers and minerals. A perfect food to feed my cows.

Every week, Jean-Claude from the farm goes to see Jean-Claude at the brewery to collect the spent grains of barley and wheat from their production. He then distributes them daily with precise dosages to our cattle. This singular fattening provides a significant proportion of stable protein in the rumen, with a positive effect on digestion. My cows love it.

It may seem banal, simple, as a gesture. It's exactly that. The peasants have a vision of the world based on simplicity and common sense. Far from the Metaverse, we are on a virtuous circle. An autonomous farm is the holy grail for any free and independent farmer.

Healthy breeding for healthy and tasty meat. As for the tasting, I always recommend the minimum of seasoning to accompany it. It's so tasty just by cooking it. No need for fuss when you want to respect the product. Its taste is delicate, intense and persistent in the mouth. I very often find buttery notes that remind me of those of a nice Meursault.

The virtuous cow. This is an appellation that I would like to claim! Breeding and meat production do not enjoy the same notoriety as the wines of Burgundy. The fashion is for the deconsumption of meat. It is a very good thing. As a child, the roast was reserved for Sunday.

The problem does not come from French breeding, which is the most virtuous and respectful of animals in the world. The problem comes from the flagrant lack of education of consumers who only buy and eat ground beef associated with the colossal imports of cattle and poultry that France carries out.

You can order Kobe beef on Amazon. You can order virtuous cow on armandheitz.com

Armand Heitz