What Is The Rarest Type Of Steak In The World (And Where Can You Find It?)

Wagyu beef is celebrated for its high amount of fat marbling that creates juicy and tender steaks with a luxurious, rich flavor. But the rarest type of steak in the world is a special kind of wagyu that takes it to an even higher level. Called olive wagyu, the opulent beef is produced by feeding olives to Japanese cattle.

Olive wagyu comes from Japan's Shodoshima Island, which has a Mediterranean climate where olives can grow and accounts for 90% of Japan's olive oil production. In 2006, a farmer who wanted to use the leftover pressed olives from oil processing that were usually discarded had the idea of feeding them to his cows. They didn't like the olives' bitterness, so he toasted and dried them, which brought out their sweetness, and combined them with rice straw, barley, and grains, and the animals happily ate it. The cows' olive diet produced meat with a richer and deeper umami flavor, partly a result of the high level of oleic acid from the olives in the animals' fat, with hints of nuttiness and olive oil.

The cattle are Kuroge Washu, one of four native Japanese wagyu breeds, and have genetically higher levels of fat marbling. Eating olives also created even more of the fine-grained marbling than the meat's already naturally elevated amount. That extra fat, which has a low melting point, makes it incredibly buttery. 

Olive wagyu is so rare because there are only about 2,200 of the cattle raised by a few farmers on Shodoshima Island, and just a few are taken for slaughter each month. Most prized and rare is A5 olive wagyu, the highest score under Japan's grading system for marbling, color, firmness, and texture, and the reason why A5 wagyu steak is considered the height of luxury.

Olive wagyu was first sold in the U.S. in 2018 by a single online retailer, Crowd Cow, and while it's now available from other online shops as well, it can tend to be out of stock and is very expensive. Prices can range from around $200 a pound to as much as $500 a pound or more, depending on the cut. Its scarcity, as well as its expensive unique diet and longer fattening period than other wagyu, all contribute to its high price.

If you find olive wagyu steak and pay that much for it, you want to cook it properly. It should be lightly seasoned with just salt and pepper to let its luscious flavor shine. Pan-sear it over high heat until it's rare to medium rare, avoiding the biggest mistake people make when cooking with wagyu. Slice after letting the meat rest, and since it's so rich and flavorful, it's appreciated best in smaller amounts. Try enjoying the wagyu steak with white wine, its unexpected perfect pairing.