In a city famous for pork and poultry, why are Hong Kongers eating so much beef?
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In a city famous for pork and poultry, why are Hong Kongers eating and then much beef?
Suppliers and restaurateurs say that potent demand for beef, especially wagyu, owes to its versatility and the inability of Hong Kong residents to travel to Nippon.
In the 2022 survey of global beef consumption per head of population, Hong Kong came in third place, with each citizen eating an astonishing 51.7 kg of beef per year.
21 Jul 2022 06:30AM (Updated: 05 Jul 2022 01:30AM)
In the 2022 table of global beefiness consumption per head of population, the countries in the meridian two spots were perhaps predictable: Argentina and Uruguay. They're famed for their beef production on vast ranches, as well as their history of cooking beef over asador grills.
In tertiary identify, nonetheless, came Hong Kong, with each denizen eating an astonishing 51.7 kg of beef per twelvemonth. That'south the equivalent of nigh 2 Big Macs per person, per day – every day.
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Beating countries like the Us and Australia is some feat, particularly when the SAR is better known for seafood consumption. All of which begs the questions of how and why beef has go such a huge role of the diet.
In that location are, of form, sceptics who doubtfulness the numbers. Some say that much of the beefiness is actually smuggled across the border to the Chinese mainland, where prices are higher and need greater.
But there's no doubting the overall trend in stratospheric growth in consumption: Back in 2001 when Cathay joined the World Trade System, the total value of its meat imports was only xv per cent of the equivalent number in the US. Just 15 years later, however, they had already overtaken the U.South.
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Eating beef was one time and then rare in People's republic of china that dorsum in the 18th century, if you looked for a recipe you'd find it listed alongside palm civet and other "exotic" ingredients. But as Hong Kong's mail service-war economy adult and living standards improved, it quickly found favour among local diners. A large expatriate population who were familiar with eating beef, non to mention the city'southward status as a key global trading hub, both ensured that information technology grew in popularity to rival the traditionally near pop meat, pork.
There is no denying, still, that beef-eating habits have substantially evolved over the last few decades – and peculiarly so in the last ten years. The city has seen a ascent in high-end beef specialists and standalone steak restaurants, leaving some famed traditional American steakhouse bondage struggling to keep up.
Jason Lo is Managing Managing director of Waves Pacific, a company he founded in 2002 to supply the urban center's restaurants – and recently individual customers – with high-end produce, from truffles to caviar and some of the world's finest beef, of which he sells between eight to ten tonnes per month.
"Hong Kong diners are now quite knowledgeable about the origins of the beef, equally people are well-travelled and accept developed more sophisticated palates. Just Hong Kong has ever been a big beefiness city and information technology has profoundly progressed in scope and variety.
"Back when I started, the simply 'premium' beef was from the U.s.a. and Japan. Australian beef was thought of as sub-standard. We spent the commencement few years irresolute that perception with Australian Wagyu beefiness, and today, Mayura Station and WX by Rangers Valley are our flagship brands."
With growing beefiness appreciation and cognition, so the diverseness of cuts on offering has grown.
"Once we got a foothold, we and so started to push the 'secondary cuts'," Lo added. "At the fourth dimension, most restaurants only used the loin cuts such as striploins, ribeyes and tenderloins. When I was in Australia I tried the cheeks and decided to bring those in as well, so i of the showtime secondary cuts we introduced was the Wagyu onglet. I retrieve bringing it to i of our early French clients and how excited he was."
Ultimately, Lo is bullish – excuse the pun – about the future of beefiness in Hong Kong.
He said: "The Hong Kong eatery market is already quite crowded, but there is always room for someone to bring in something new and outgoing. Fifty-fifty with the ascension of plant-based foods, need has remained stiff, maybe considering nosotros work with producers who are mindful of the way they produce their beef.
"In all the hoopla, one of the things that gets lost is that quality meat is the production of high brute welfare and expert practices. Industrialised nutrient production, whether information technology'due south meat or soy or anything, is something we all need to be mindful of."
"Hong Kong people dearest high-stop Japanese beefiness because wagyu is a brand like Rolex or eating caviar, so it's perceived as a luxury item. It's especially popular now as people who would normally go to Japan to consume beef can't travel, and then they're looking for outlets to become their fix.
"We honey to educate people near the dissimilar types, how Miyazaki is different from Kagoshima, Kobe and Ozaki. At the aforementioned time we want Yakinikumafia to introduce new diners to wagyu as at that place's a new generation of producers and suppliers who desire to bring information technology out to the globe through more than casual places."
His eatery group gets through more than a tonne of beef a calendar month, always imported fresh, never frozen, with prime number and 2nd cuts distributed to different eateries. Dinner at Wagyumafia can run to HK$4,000 per person (Due south$720) without drinks, but afterward a very tough few months for the manufacture, business is back.
"Our consumption is higher than before and we're one of the largest importers of Japanese wagyu. It'south both luxurious and deficient and so nosotros don't think appetite volition become down. It'south too very versatile and that'due south why customers keep coming back – nosotros even started a dim sum night featuring high-end wagyu in siu mai, baos, spring rolls and more than."
Mario Paecke is Chef de Cuisine at SOMM at the Landmark Standard mandarin Oriental. I of his signature dishes is a beef tartare, but in line with the luxurious offerings across the five-star property, information technology is taken up a level.
"We all love a proficient steak tartare, but it would exist too obvious but to serve information technology the classical way. At SOMM, every bit at Bister, at that place will ever be a trivial twist, then we apply the very all-time French techniques, astonishing grass-fed beef from France by Alexandre Polmard seasoned with ingredients from Japan. The balmy heat of the binchotan grilled light-green chillies and the elegant fragrance of green shiso are a perfect lucifer without losing the flavor of the beefiness.
"The tartare is an elegant match with the huge varieties of wines & sakes by the glass served in SOMM and you lot can go in various directions depending how audacious you are."
As to the fundamental question regarding how beef compares in popularity with other meats on the menu, Paecke offered: "Beef remains very popular in Hong Kong and there's no doubt it's the favourite meat in a poly peptide-heavy city. The taste of beefiness has evolved considerably over the years and is certainly more sophisticated.
"We too recognise that hunger for beefiness creates problems with the environment, hence nosotros simply focus on grass-fed beefiness and beefiness that has been ethically raised. Nosotros select the all-time possible choices that accept less impact on our environment and are still exceptional products."
Although not every restaurateur or consumer is as mindful of the bigger sustainability picture as Paecke, Lo and Li, with people like them leading the accuse, it seems that beef withal has a very vivid time to come in the Fragrant Harbour.
"Beef remains very popular in Hong Kong and there'south no doubt it'southward the favourite meat in a protein-heavy city." – Mario Paecke
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