Today’s Bitchfest: Kurobuta

I’ve had it. This week I’ve read menus from three different fancy restaurants, all pimping their “kurobota” or “korubuta” or some other misspelling of kurobuta, a word you shouldn’t use unless you expect at least half of your diners to know what the hell it is in the first place (especially considering the price of it). The final straw was a local magazine that wrote about “kurobata.”

And what, exactly, is kurobuta? It means “black pig,” and it’s a Japanese heritage breed of pig descended from Berkshire hogs given to Japan by Britain diplomats in the 19th century. Kagoshima Prefecture, in southern Japan, produces this celebrated high-quality meat, which is pretty much the pork equivalent of Kobe beef.

Thanks for letting me vent. Maybe someday kurobuta will be as well-known (and correctly spelled) as wagyu or hamachi. Oink!