what exactly is wasabi?”
Wasabi is Japanese horseradish. You can get it premade in a paste, or in a powder to which you add water. It’s a condiment that’s most commonly used with sushi and tuna. My favorite paste brand is S&B and my favorite powder is Hime Brands. You should be able to find them in your grocery store in the aisle with the Asian or gourmet foods. You can also buy fresh wasabi root and make your own. Wasabi is “hot” and will clear your sinuses in a hurry like other horseradish. But it doesn’t burn your tongue like hot peppers. I don’t like hot peppery food because they make my mouth hurt, but I love wasabi. The feeling is intense for a moment and makes your eyes water, but then it goes away. My favorite use for it is to mix some into mayonnaise and use it on grilled tuna. I also like it plain on sushi rolls. It can also be used as an ingredient in recipes from drinks to appetizers to main dishes, salads, and soups.
Wasabi is a Japanese vegetable, related to mustard and horseradish. The root is grated and served as a complement to sushi. Most Americans have never tried real wasabi, because it’s very hard to grow and therefore expensive. Most sushi restaurants serve a green paste made of horseradish, mustard, and food coloring, and sometimes dried wasabi powder. It has a heat similar to real wasabi, but a very different taste. Good sushi restaurants may have some true wasabi, and will give it to patrons who ask politely for it. But the green goo you get at the all-you-can-choke-down sushi bars and in gas stations usually contains no wasabi whatsoever.
known as “Japanese horseradish”, its root is used as a spice and has an extremely strong flavor. Its hotness is more akin to that of a hot mustard than the capsaicin in a chili pepper, producing vapors that irritate the nasal passages more than the tongue. The plant grows naturally along stream beds in mountain river valleys in Japan. There are also other species used, such as W. koreana, and W. tetsuigi. The two main
