Omi beef
近江牛Ingredient
Omi beef suits riders who want one big wagyu dinner on the loop, and the certified cuts are expensive.
The name
Ōmi-gyū
近江牛Beef of Omi, the old name of the province that became Shiga.
japanese
The name joins the province name to gyu (cattle or beef). It is a plain description.
SourceWhere to eat Omi beef · 3 places
Omi beef is Japanese Black cattle raised for the longest part of their lives in Shiga. Carcasses graded A4 or B4 and above get a certificate and seal, and the name has been a registered regional trademark since 2007 and a Geographical Indication since 2017. The Hikone domain had a licence to slaughter cattle in the Edo period, and its pickled beef went as gifts to other lords.
After 1893 dressed beef shipped by rail from Omi-Hachiman Station made the name famous in Tokyo. Today you meet it all round the lake, from a whole-carcass butcher in Hikone's castle-town street to a sushi roll in Omihachiman.
Quick answers about Omi beefよくある質問
What makes beef Omi beef?
Omi beef must be Japanese Black cattle that spent the longest part of their rearing in Shiga. Meat graded A4 or B4 and above carries a certificate and seal.
How do you order Omi beef?
Look for the certificate and seal shown with the meat, and ask for Omi beef sukiyaki, steak or a toro roll at a sushi bar.
When is Omi beef in season?
Omi beef: All year. Winter menus around the lake turn to sukiyaki and shabu-shabu.
Where can you eat Omi beef in Japan?
Places we list for Omi beef include Hisago-zushi, Nagahama Roman Beer, Sennaritei Yume-Kyobashi.