If you find yourself dining at a top-tier steakhouse, you might be confronted with terms like wagyu and Kobe - but what's the difference between the two?

Wagyu beef is known for exceptional quality, with a price tag to match. We spoke to an expert to learn more. Here's our guide, with everything you need to know.

You've probably noticed it on the menu at many local restaurants. Maybe you've even paid extra and ordered the Kobe beef. But is it worth the upcharge? And what are you really getting?

Q: Could you possibly clear up the notion of Kobe beef? From what I have read it is extremely hard to find the real stuff outside of Japan and that in the U.S. it’s all just a big scam.

The U.S. still dwarfs Japan, exporting $7.13 billion in beef last year, but the Kobe label is one way for Japanese beef producers to carve out an exclusive niche internationally.

(Kobe beef comes only from Japanese Black, for example.) Any Japanese cattle breeds besides these four (and they do exist) should not be called wagyu, Mori confirms. Kobe is one kind of wagyu.

In my three part series, covering Kobe beef (Part1), Domestic Kobe and Wagyu (Part 2) , and the U.S. Government’s role (Part 3), I went into a lot of detail about a lot of different things, some ...