1.
marbled meat; marbling
Refers to beef or other meat with fine streaks of fat running through it, resembling frost. Highly prized in Japanese cuisine for its tenderness and flavor.
2.
frost pattern; frosted appearance
A pattern or appearance resembling frost, used to describe textiles, ceramics, or other surfaces with a speckled white-on-dark pattern.
Etymology
霜 (frost) + 降り (falling): the white flecks look like a fall of frost.
Usage
- Meat: fine white fat running through red meat, the main quality mark of 和牛. 霜降り肉 and 霜降り和牛 are the usual compounds.
- Fabric and surfaces: a speckled or heathered pattern, as in 霜降りのグレー (heather grey).
- In cooking, 霜降りにする also means to dip fish or meat briefly in hot water until the surface turns white, to remove smell and scum.