If you are a beef lover, then the news of a new source of beef should excite you!  We have been used to Australian and US beef for years, but the government’s strategy of diversification of food sources has seen beef coming from many other parts of the world in recent years. Now you can get beef from Japan, Argentina, Ireland, Brazil, and even Uraguay!

Beef from different countries has its own character which depends on cattle genetics, environment, feed, water quality and meat processing etc.  US beef tastes quite different from Australian beef which tastes different from New Zealand and Argentinian beef.  It is the differences that make it quite interesting to compare the beef from different countries.  In the past, it used to be that I’d buy several steaks, grill them over the BBQ and everyone will have their own steak to enjoy.  Nowadays, I tend to do a steak degustation where I might get a few ribeyes from different countries just so that we can compare the flavor of the beef from different countries!

So, when the Canada High Commission contacted me about a possible collaboration to promote Canada Beef, I was quick to agree.  With its large land mass, vast prairies, snow-capped mountains, and pristine waters from melting ice caps, I was very interested to see how Canadian beef would compare with its Southern neighbor, the US.  I have been a fan of Canadian Pork since their introduction to our local food scene several years ago and if their beef is as good as their pork, then it is really something to look forward to!

The questions that were foremost on my mind were:

1. What makes Canadian beef different?2. How does it compare to US beef. Is it cheaper?3. How is Canadian beef graded?

Canadian beef is still not available here, but I managed to get hold of some during Food, Hotel, Asia 2022. Even though they were not Prime Grade, the quality of the beef was very good. Because of its proximity to the US, one would naturally compare Canadian Beef to those of the US which we are quite familiar with already. Now, there are many farms in both Canada and the US and the quality of the beef will differ f...