A premium new kind of beef is waggling towards Australia’s high end restaurants. And it’s not Wagyu. It is, however, being brought by the same guy that brought Wagyu cattle to Australia – David Blackmore. Mr Blackmore calls the new breed of cattle his retirement plan and he hopes its “sexy name” will keep landing them on the plates of select restaurants across the country.
Their name? Rubia Gallega. A breed of cattle from Galicia – a Spanish region known for its stews and octopuses. Rubia Gallega are a heritage breed with various special attributes. As Mr Blackmore told the ABC recently: “They call it cinnamon colour through to orange, they are solid coloured, they are a horned breed and they’ve certainly got more muscling than the traditional British breed cattle we have in Australia.”
The Butchers Club – a Scottish club which brought it in for a limited time – put it like this: “What exactly is this special beef we’re bringing in exclusively and for a limited time? To put it simply: It’s meat from a fat old cow and it’s said to be the best beef in the world.”
According to The Butchers Club, “The hottest topic in top-notch steak circles right now is beef from old Spanish cows. More specifically a breed of bulls and cows called ‘Galician Blond’ (or Rubia Gallega) that are over eight years old and from Galicia in northwestern Spain.”
“Food writers, celebrities and beef-lovers are all falling off of the leather-clad seats of the finest restaurants in London and New York, as they devour what is being crowned the best tasting steak in the world.”
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Now it’s Australia’s turn, thanks to an experience meat pioneer Mr Blackmore had 15 years ago in Europe.
Mr Blackmore first tasted the meat in France 15 years ago, he told the ABC, inspiring him to bring Rubia Gallega to Australia. In terms of what consumer can expect, Rubia Gallega was historically a working animal, which means they have developed marbling (fat distribution through the meat) which is “not as good as Wagyu but better than anything I’ve seen off grass,” Mr Blackmore told the ABC.
Mr Blackmore got the embryos he needed and now there’s a whole herd of Rubia Gallega in Australia – the nation’s first ever.
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The ABC reports; “It is early days, but cattle are now being served as a test for some of Australia’s best restaurants.”
Before lockdown half a Rubia Gallega carcus was sent to Rockpool Melbourne, and the other half to Rockpool Sydney (they’re huge).
Mr Blackmore describes the experience of eating Rubia Gallega thusly: “It’s very tender. It’s got a very fine texture because of the marbling and being grass fed, it’s a completely different, distinct flavour, an earthy, nutty flavour,” (ABC).
Users on Twitter can be seen arguing over whether it’s really the best in the world (some believe Wagyu is better). But what’s not up for debate is that it’s new and sexy and (likely) going to be well marketed.
Coming soon to an (exclusive) restaurant near you.