Landing in Japan! What is "Mottai Nairam"? December 3 16:30

Some people may shy away from saying, “Lamb meat with a peculiar habit is a little weak”. What if the lamb was improved to a meat-like texture like Japanese beef? In the livestock kingdom Australia, such high quality lamb meat was developed. Its name is "Mottai Nairam". What kind of meat is the lamb meat that makes you goy? (Sydney branch director Risa Komiya)

Lamb meat aimed at the taste of Wagyu beef

Australia produces large amounts of beef and exports to Japan and other countries around the world. In fact, lamb meat production is also thriving, and the export volume in FY2017 was about 430,000 tons, the best in the world.

In the domestic market, lamb is lined up in supermarkets and butcher shops, and it is a familiar ingredient in Australia.

On the other hand, there was no high-quality lamb that was branded like beef, but new lamb that was developed with a focus on it is now beginning to spread.

The meat has a unique texture and melts in your mouth. It is said that the proportion of sashi is 35% compared to Japanese beef compared to general lamb with a lot of red meat. In addition, it is said that there is no strong smell peculiar to lamb meat contained in the fat part.

Its name is “Mottainai Lamb”. It was named after the Japanese word “motai”. The secret of the name is actually in food.

Food is a waste ingredient! ?

“Mottanairam” is produced in a ranch in Western Australia. Mr. Susanna Moss Wright, a manager, was originally a lawyer, but four years ago, she worked with a farmer she knew about aiming for a new livestock industry. Today, it has about 4,200 sheep on a 1200 hectare land.

Sheep's food is usually pasture, hay, and grains, but Moss Wright's ranch uses waste foods that cannot be turned into products but can be eaten. For this reason, the concept of Japanese “motai” has been incorporated into the brand name.

The waste ingredients used are olive oil mixed with carrots and sediments that are poorly shaped, accounting for 80% of the total food. Carrots are said to have the effect of softening sheep meat and increasing the rate of marbling. In addition, oleic acid contained in olives has been found to be a source of aroma and umami, creating a melting texture.

Sheep raised in this way produce 21.5 kg of meat, which is roughly twice the average of Australian lamb.

Reduce food loss!

But why did you decide to use waste ingredients? In fact, Australia is one of the world's leading agricultural powers, and “food loss” that is thrown away when eaten is a big problem.

It is said that up to a quarter of the vegetables produced are disposed of without being shipped because of their poor shape. The loss that farmers incur due to food loss is expected to exceed ¥ 210 billion per year in Japanese yen.

Even though it looks bad, there is only the same amount of nutrients, so Moss Wright thought that it would be possible to make effective use of these “money” ingredients to help reduce food loss. After 3 years of analysis of the components of the discarded crops, we succeeded in creating food that improves the meat quality of sheep.

Effective for global warming countermeasures!

There are also unexpected advantages to using waste ingredients. There is a concern that eating meat will lead to global warming because livestock gep and waste contain methane gas, which is one of the greenhouse gases.

However, in the case of Mottainiram, food made from waste foods is easier to digest than pasture, so the amount of methane gas generated in the intestines of sheep can be greatly reduced. In addition, it has also led to the elimination of greenhouse gases that have been generated by reclaiming waste ingredients.

For this reason, the estimated amount of greenhouse gases emitted per kilogram of Mothai Nailam is about 6 kilograms, less than half of the typical Australian lamb meat of 13 kilograms. It is.

Sell ​​to the global market!

Although this lamb has been improved with a unique production method, overseas markets are also being developed. It has already been exported to seven countries and regions, including the United States, Thailand, and UAE = United Arab Emirates.

In order to further expand the sales channel, Moss Wright has visited various parts of the world for sale. I especially expect the Middle East, where lamb is consumed, and Asia, where the population is large and the economy continues to grow.

In Japan, over 60% of the imported lamb comes from Australia, and demand has been increasing recently. Japan and Australia are expected to be a tailwind because there is no tariff on lamb due to the EPA = Economic Partnership Agreement, which entered into force in 2015.

Moss Wright “Japan is an advanced market and accepts new things. It is recognized as the best lamb in the world like Japanese beef and expects people to eat it.”

Japanese chef presses the drum

The important thing is whether or not it fits the Japanese mouth. Moss Wright has been conducting market research, for example, by having a Japanese acquaintance in Australia taste the food. As a result, it is generally well-received, and it is expected that it will be offered in earnest at restaurants of the major hotel group “Hyatt” all over Japan from January 2020.

Prior to this, we asked a Japanese chef residing in Sydney to hear the chef's opinion and actually cooked Mothai Nai Lam.

When the kitchen knife was put in, the meat was separated so as to unwind. The chef was surprised that the fine texture of the meat was as fast as the fire, and the way the fat comes out looks like beef. Also, because there is no odor characteristic of lamb meat, it was highly evaluated as “a food of a new era” because it suits Japanese cuisine such as salt grilling, shabu shabu and teriyaki.

Personally, I like the peculiarity of lamb meat, but when I tasted Mottanai Lamb, I smiled unintentionally with its texture and taste.

A new Australian lamb that is made from waste ingredients and makes professional cooks grow up. I'm really looking forward to seeing how it will be accepted by Japanese consumers in the future.

Sydney branch manager Risa Komiya Joined Kanazawa Bureau in 2003, International Department, etc.