Protected local food
Omi Beef
近江牛
Omi Beef from Shiga is one of the oldest beef brands in Japan, raised for about 400 years. Its fat is rich in oleic acid, so it melts at a low temperature.
Key facts
- Registered as a protected name
- 15 December 2017
- Region
- Kansai
- Official name in Japanese
- 近江牛
- Official area (in Japanese)
- 滋賀県内
Beef for the shogun
Eating beef was banned in the Edo period, but the Hikone domain in Shiga was the one place allowed to produce it, to present to the shogun. Rice grew well on the water of Lake Biwa, and farmers learned to fatten cattle mainly on rice straw.
In 1951 Shiga set up Japan's first group to promote a beef brand. Omi Beef is often named as one of Japan's three great Wagyu.
Good to know
- Google Maps 彦根城 (opens in a new tab) is one of Japan's original castles. Pair it with an Omi Beef lunch: see castles.
- Compare it with Kobe Beef, Matsusaka Beef and Yonezawa Beef.
Questions travellers ask
Why does Omi Beef melt in the mouth?
Its fat is rich in oleic acid, which melts at a low temperature.
How old is Omi Beef?
Beef cattle have been raised in Shiga for about 400 years, which makes Omi Beef one of the oldest beef brands in Japan.
Where it comes from
More protected foods from the same area
Crafts from the same area
Heritage stories from the same area
- Esashi: the herring town that outshone Edo
- Hida no Takumi: 1,300 years of master woodworkers in Takayama
- Iga and Koka: in search of the real ninja
- Lake Biwa Canal: the waterway of hope from Otsu to Kyoto
- Lake Biwa: villages that live with the water
- Saigoku 33 Kannon Pilgrimage: Japan's 1,300-year journey of the heart
- The railway across the sea: Nagahama, Tsuruga and Imajo
- The Six Ancient Kilns: pottery born and raised in Japan
Sources
We checked the facts on this page against these sources.