Wuhan snowflake beef amazes, one cow sells for more than a BMW
Over the past two years, in upscale restaurants in Wuhan, “snowflake beef” has become a unique luxury item. Although it comes from an ordinary livestock species, its distinctive appearance and nutritional value have propelled it to become the new darling of high-end cuisine, with the highest price reaching more than 1720 yuan per jin. Why can the snowflake "Bull Demon King" cause such a frenzy in Wuhan? Recently, reporters investigated this.
“Snowflake beef” becomes a unique luxury item
The plating is delicate and particular
One cow costs more than a BMW
On a piece of bright red beef, magical “little snowflakes” float. Since 2010, this variety, named snowflake beef after its appearance, has instantly spread across Wuhan, becoming a “luxury on the tip of the tongue.” Reporters learned that at present, ordinary restaurants all plate it in portions of ten slices, with four liang of meat selling for anywhere from one or two hundred yuan to over a thousand yuan.
Starting in 2010, high-end hot pot restaurants such as Xixiyuan No. 1, Cao Jing Jing, and Yueding Restaurant gradually began selling snowflake beef at various price points. At Yueding Restaurant, reporters saw that each portion of snowflake beef was priced from 68 yuan to 688 yuan, with the most expensive being the “ribeye.” According to chef Mei Xingkui, ribeye is a cut from the back of the cow, and each cow yields only ten to twenty jin of ribeye, with an excellent texture, which is why it is also the most expensive.
In the hotel kitchen, reporters witnessed the entire process as Mei Xingkui worked: first placing ice on the plate, then slicing thin pieces of beef one by one and gently arranging them on top, making sure each slice was spread out so that the snowflake-like marbling looked more attractive. “When this variety first arrived, we didn't really know how to plate it, because it needs to be sliced as thin as possible for the best texture, but too thin and it collapses and doesn't look good.” Afterwards, reporters took one slice of beef and weighed it: 21 grams. A plate of beef is fixed at ten slices, with a plated weight of about four liang, selling for 688 yuan (equivalent to about 1720 yuan per jin).
At the Cao Jing Jing hot pot restaurant in Hankou, snowflake beef is also a signature item. Besides being used for hot pot, a beef item weighing about seven liang and priced at 988 yuan has a texture similar to ice cream when eaten raw. The store's general manager Wang Xiaofeng told reporters that snowflake beef is actually named for its appearance; the so-called “snowflake” refers to beef in which fat deposits between muscle fibers, forming a clear alternation of red and white, resembling marble patterns. Reporters learned that snowflake beef originated from Japanese wagyu. At present, China has already produced a number of independent “snowflake beef” brands, such as Dalian's Xuelong Black Cattle, Shaanxi's Qinbao, Yanbian's Benfu, Beijing's Yuxiangyuan, and Shandong's Yiliyuan, Hong'an, Qinhao, and many others. Currently, the Wuhan market is mainly dominated by Dalian black cattle beef. This black cattle was developed by introducing Japanese Kobe wagyu as the seed stock, obtaining fertilized embryos with French Limousin cattle, then transplanting the embryos into Dalian, China's Fuzhou cattle for gestation to carry out three-way crossbreeding. This variety of black cattle sleeps on soft beds, listens to music, drinks beer, drinks warm water, lives in “five-star” fattening barns, enjoys all kinds of delicious feed, and grows up in a comfortable environment. Reporters learned that better black cattle beef is priced at two to three hundred yuan per jin, and a cow weighing more than a thousand jin can sell for enough to buy an ordinary BMW.
Over a thousand yuan per plate, five or six portions sold every day
Snowflake beef sales in Wuhan are rising
The price of one portion of snowflake beef is equivalent to that of dozens of plates of traditional beef. How has such sky-high-priced beef been accepted by consumers? And what is the current market like?
While interviewing at the restaurant, reporters saw consumer Mr. Wang order two portions of snowflake beef priced at 688 yuan. He told reporters that he is the general manager of a technology company in Hankou, and that he was hosting several clients from out of town there that day. Wanting something more upscale and with a budget of about a thousand yuan per person, he chose to treat his clients to snowflake beef at the club. At another restaurant in Hankou, reporters saw customer Ms. Huang and her family of three tasting snowflake beef. Ms. Huang told reporters that she had heard from a friend that this beef was good, so she specially brought her child to try something new on the weekend.
Reporters learned that at present, customers who consume high-end snowflake beef are mostly doing so for business banquets, while some high-income families also choose to enjoy it themselves. “At first, customers didn't know much about this beef, and because the price was relatively high, not many people bought it. But later, with follow-up advertising and word of mouth from customers, more and more people came to know about snowflake beef, and the consumer group was gradually cultivated.” During the interviews, several industry insiders expressed the same feeling.
Liu Wei, marketing director of a restaurant, told reporters that from the beginning of this year through October 25, the restaurant received nearly 4000 private-room services, among which 108 portions of the 688-yuan 3A Xuelong ribeye were sold, and after several months of operation, sales gradually rose. The ordinary snowflake beef priced at 198 yuan per portion sold best, with 7730 portions sold. The supreme frost-grade snowflake beef, priced at 568 yuan, also sold 140 portions. Judging from current consumption trends, these next few months may usher in a blowout period.
Wang Xiaofeng also told reporters that at his restaurant, consumers also went from not understanding it at first to gradually accepting it now. “At present, the beef priced at 988 yuan that can be eaten raw sells five or six portions every day, while other snowflake beef priced at more than 200 yuan per portion has become the main product for business banquets. The restaurant also has high-end seafood products, but right now beef still sells better.”
Regarding the rising sales of snowflake beef over the past year or two, some industry insiders analyzed that this is closely related to current international trends. Nowadays, influenced by environmental protection concepts, eating shark fin is discouraged; and bird's nest also sells poorly because of various controversies. As some seawater pollution has become severe, the quality of seafood has also been questioned, so red meat products with strict breeding standards and inspection standards have once again become favored.