Yak Meat Market Price and How It Differs from Ordinary Beef and How to Identify It

The yak, also known as the pig-sound ox, Tibetan ox, horsetail ox, maned ox, zuo ox, mo ox, woolly rhinoceros, and woolly ox, is a common type of cattle in Tibetan areas. Because it is raised in small numbers and has high nutritional value, it is widely farmed. So how much is yak meat per jin on the market? How does it differ from ordinary beef? How can it be identified?

Latest market price:

The market price of fresh yak meat is 30 yuan per jin; authentic air-dried yak meat is more expensive, around 200 yuan per jin, and the unit price of yak meat also varies depending on the place of origin, degree of freshness, packaging, and so on.

Yak meat is a dish, and its main ingredients include yak rump meat, soybean oil, and so on. Yak meat is tender and delicious. It has extremely high nutritional value. It is rich in protein and amino acids, as well as trace elements such as carotene, calcium, and phosphorus. Its fat content is especially low and its calorie content is especially high, and it has a significant effect on enhancing the human body's disease resistance, cell vitality, and organ function. The whole yak is a treasure: the meat can be eaten, and the hide can be sewn into clothing, boots, bags, and so on. The yak head can be processed into handicrafts, the yak tail can be made into a broom for sweeping away dust, and the yak penis is an aphrodisiac. Because yaks live year-round in areas above several thousand meters in altitude, where many wild medicinal species such as fritillaria and cordyceps grow, yaks often eat these medicinal materials, so their meat is incomparably delicious. After slaughter, it can be stir-fried, braised, stewed clear, or air-dried into dried strips, and so on, with a unique flavor.

Differences from ordinary beef:

1. Place of origin

The main yak farming areas: Yunnan-Tibet, Tibet, Qinghai-Tibet, and other such high-altitude places. Hongyuan in Aba, Sichuan, is a good yak meat production base. The production area has specialized yak meat processing factories, so the yak meat produced here is authentic yak meat food. Local people also regard yak meat as their main meat food, and every household can eat yak meat. If the yak meat purchased comes from areas that do not raise yaks, then such yak meat is often a counterfeit product.

2. Price

Many people may not understand yak meat. Yak meat is relatively expensive. It takes at least four years to raise a yak for meat, and a yak is worth about 10,000 yuan. In Hongyuan locally, the price of one jin of yak meat is about 45 yuan. Air-dried yak meat is made from selected fine yak meat, which after shrinking and additional processing is made into jerky and then packaged, and its price is about 80 to 100 yuan. Therefore, if the air-dried yak meat we buy is much cheaper than this, then it is very likely to be fake.

Identification methods:

Judging by price: In farmers' markets in Tibet, ordinary fresh yak meat costs about 30 to 40 yuan (prices vary by region). Generally, 10 jin of yak meat made into jerky amounts to only about 3 to 4 jin. Counting actual costs such as labor, transportation, taxes, and shop rent, one jin of yak jerky should be at least 60 to 70 yuan to be reasonable. So when many friends tell me that on the streets of Lhasa one jin of yak jerky costs only a bit over 40 yuan, then needless to say, it must be horse meat, yellow beef, or something adulterated with additives such as protein powder passed off as superior.

Judging by appearance: The main raw material of fake yak meat is horse meat. Judging by appearance, the cut surface of yak meat has no obvious granular texture, while horse meat does. In addition, the fat content of yak meat is much higher than that of horse meat.

Judging by smell: Beef has a distinctive gamey and rank odor that horse meat does not have. (This one can only be sensed, not explained in words.)

Judging by taste: Yak meat has relatively long fibers, and its meat structure is coarse and compact, so when eating yak meat one feels that the meat is tough.