Johannesburg Gets a Taste for Japan's Kobe Beef

约翰内斯堡人就喜欢日本的神户牛肉

Johannesburg, South Africa is one of Africa’s top citiesin business and wealth. Its financial area is often called the richest square mile on the continent. As its wealth increases so does the tastes of its residents.

南非的约翰内斯堡是非洲最大的商业金融城市之一。其金融领域通常被称为非洲大陆最富有的区域。随着它财富的增长，当地人的品味也在不断上升。

Right now, demand is rising in Johannesburg for Kobe beef. Top cooks and professional meat cutters say it is the best beef in the world. It is definitely themost costly.

现在神户牛肉的在约翰内斯堡的需求正处于上升阶段。顶级厨师和专业切肉师傅们都表示这是世界上最顶级的牛肉，当然也是最贵的。

The beef comes from Wagyu cattle in Japan’s Kobe region. The beef’s fat content makes it rich and melt-in-your-mouth tender.

日本的神户地区盛产神户牛肉。它的脂肪含量丰富，入口即化。

At Braeside Butchery in Johannesburg, butchers slice through carcasses -- the remains of the dead cow. Caroline McCann is the owner of the meat store. She is a "huge fan" of Kobe beef.

在约翰内斯堡的Braeside屠宰场，屠宰师傅切开牛的身体。Caroline McCann是一家肉店的所有者，她可是神户牛肉的忠实粉丝。

The Japanese taught her how to cook it: drop thin pieces into boiling misosoup for a very brief time.

日本人教她怎样烹饪神户牛肉：切薄片，放入煮味噌汤一小会。

"And with chopsticks just three to five times put the meat through the broth, and enjoy. And you do! It is just delightful. It's incredibly creamy; almost likeeating a slab of butter, so it's very rich; you certainly can't eat a lot of it."

“用筷子搅拌3到5次，将肉从汤里取出即可享用!非常的美味。几乎让人难以置信的软，就像在吃一块奶油的感觉，正因为如此，它非常贵，所以不能吃太多哦。”

Caroline McCann has visited Japan. She says the meat currently costs more than $1,000 dollars a kilo on international markets.

Caroline McCann去过日本。她说目前神户牛肉在国际市场的成本价一公斤超过1000美元。

McCann says Kobe farmers understand that the better they feed and treat their animals, the better their beef will taste.

McCann说神户农民知道他们对待动物越好，他们的牛肉的风味越好。

"It's kind of the ultimate diet. So they ((the cows)) have this wonderful massage once a day and then they get fed beer every day. Most people Iknow would put their hands in the air and beg to be a Wagyu." (Laughing) "And so what they get is they get roughly a liter, liter and a half, of hops everyday. So it's high carb, high sugar, which also helps them to bulk up."

“这是一种顶级饮食享受。神户牛每天会被按摩一次，然后每天还会喝啤酒。许多我知道的人会举双手想要成为神户牛。”“它们每天会喝大概1公升到1公升半的啤酒。这种高碳水化合物和高糖会帮助它们变成大块头。”

An order is ready in the kitchen of a restaurant in Sandton, a wealthy area of Johannesburg. Businessman Dennis Atwood is eating Kobe-style steak.

在桑顿(约翰内斯堡的富人区)的一家餐厅的厨房里，一份订单已经准备妥当。商人Dennis Atwood正在吃神户牛排。

"It is one of the best in the world. It's dry on the outside and quite pleasant to eat. The flavor is certainly intense."

“这是世界上最好的牛排，外干内柔，吃起来太享受了。味道绝了”

Caroline McCann says Kobe-style beef is something that wealthy people from all over the world want.

Caroline McCann说神户牛肉是世界上所有富人都想要的。

"The people that are looking for this are the same people that are very well traveled, very well read, very well informed; they would have eaten at some of the ((world's)) top restaurants.

“喜欢神户牛肉的人一样，都是见过世面的，受过良好教育的，他们会在世界最顶级的餐厅享用神户牛肉。”

She says there also are a lot of people from elsewhere in Africa, who visit Johannesburg for business, and they too want to eat Kobe beef.

她表示，许多来自非洲其他地方的人出差来到这里，也会想要吃神户牛肉。

"So a lot of people from Ghana and Kenya and Congo, who come with significant money, come with a significant understanding of foodinternationally, and they're also actively seeking out this kind of product."

“许多来自加纳、肯尼亚和刚果的人，他们很有钱，也对食物有见地，他们也会来此寻找这种类型的产品。”

Very soon, Caroline McCann says she is set to import Kobe-style beef from Australia, where Wagyu-crossbreeds are growing.

Caroline McCann表示很快她会从澳大利亚进口神户牛肉，那里有杂交品种的神户牛。

She plans to sell the beef for 1,300 rands, or more than $100 dollars a kilo… But it will obviously sell for much more at restaurants.

她计划卖1300兰特，或者100美元一公斤。当然更多是在餐厅出售。

I’m Marsha James.

我是Marsha James。

Johannesburg Gets a Taste for Japan's Kobe Beef

Johannesburg, South Africa is one of Africa’s top citiesin business and wealth. Its financial area is often called the richest squaremile on the continent. As its wealth increases so does the tastes of itsresidents.

Right now, demand is rising in Johannesburg for Kobe beef. Top cooks andprofessional meat cutters say it is the best beef in the world. It is definitely themost costly.

The beef comes from Wagyu cattle in Japan’s Kobe region. The beef’s fatcontent makes it rich and melt-in-your-mouth tender.

At Braeside Butchery in Johannesburg, butchers slice through carcasses -- the remains of the dead cow. Caroline McCann is the owner of the meatstore. She is a "huge fan" of Kobe beef.

The Japanese taught her how to cook it: drop thin pieces into boiling misosoup for a very brief time.

Braeside Butchery owner Caroline McCann in Johannesburg. (Darren Taylor for VOA News)

"And with chopsticks just three to five times put the meat through the broth, and enjoy. And you do! It is just delightful. It's incredibly creamy; almost likeeating a slab of butter, so it's very rich; you certainly can't eat a lot of it."

Caroline McCann has visited Japan. She says the meat currently costs morethan $1,000 dollars a kilo on international markets.

McCann says Kobe farmers understand that the better they feed and treattheir animals, the better their beef will taste.

"It's kind of the ultimate diet. So they ((the cows)) have this wonderfulmassage once a day and then they get fed beer every day. Most people Iknow would put their hands in the air and beg to be a Wagyu." (Laughing) "And so what they get is they get roughly a liter, liter and a half, of hops everyday. So it's high carb, high sugar, which also helps them to bulk up."

An order is ready in the kitchen of a restaurant in Sandton, a wealthy area ofJohannesburg. Businessman Dennis Atwood is eating Kobe-style steak.

"It is of the best in the world. It's dry on the outside and quite pleasant to eat. The flavor is certainly intense."

Caroline McCann says Kobe-style beef is something that wealthy people fromall over the world want.

"The people that are looking for this are the same people that are very welltraveled, very well read, very well informed; they would have eaten at some of the ((world's)) top restaurants.

She says there also are a lot of people from elsewhere in Africa, who visitJohannesburg for business, and they too want to eat Kobe beef.

"So a lot of people from Ghana and Kenya and Congo, who come withsignificant money, come with a significant understanding of foodinternationally, and they're also actively seeking out this kind of product."

Very soon, Caroline McCann says she is set to import Kobe-style beef fromAustralia, where Wagyu-crossbreeds are growing.

She plans to sell the beef for 1,300 rands, or more than $100 dollars a kilo… But it will obviously sell for much more at restaurants.

I’m Marsha James.

Darren Taylor reported this story from Johannesburg. Marsha James adaptedit for VOA Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor.

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Words in This Story

butchery – n. the work of a butcher: the job of preparing meat for sale

carcass – n. the body of a dead animal

ultimate – adj. greatest or most extreme

beg – v. to ask (someone) in a very serious and emotional way for somethingneeded or wanted very much

bulk up – phrasal verb to gain weight often by becoming muscular

crossbreeds – v. to make two different kinds of animal breed together