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What is Wasabi
Wasabi is perennial plant, a member of the cruciferous family, including broccoli, cabbage and mustards. All parts of the wasabi plant have a distinctive flavor that can be used as a condiment in food preparation. Among them the rhizome is most valued. Freshly grated rhizome has a unique pungent flavor, similar to but also distinct from hoseradish and mustards. It is commonly served with sliced raw fish,as an ingredient
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of sushi, or as an accompaniment to noodles. Real wasabi has unique flavors that the ordinary hoseradish and mustard can not compete with. The taste of genuine wasabi is like a warm explosion in your mouth that quickly fades away with a slightly sweet lingering aftertaste. For centuries, the Japanese cherished wasabi. Its popularity is rapidly spreading throughout the United States, as well. Due to its difficult growing conditions and lack of availability, wasabi is still a niche crop that is very expensive in the marketplace. Even in Japan, only five percent of sushi shops use fresh wasabi. Usually wasabi paste or powder is served in restaurants, of which most restaurants use artificial or fake wasabi powder. |
Besides its unique role playing as a food condiment, wasabi also possesses many potential health benifits. For centuries the Japanese believed that daily consumption of wasabi improves general health and fights off a large number of illnesses. Modern researchers have supported this belief and have discovered active ingredients in wasabi of particular interest. For example, wasabi components stunt and reduce the growth of a number of different types of cancer cells, reduce the possibility of getting blood clots, and encourage the bodies own immune system to discard mutagenic cells. In addition, components of wasabi are found to have anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties that reduce the effects of food poisoning, an admired character when served with raw fish and meat.Researchers have also found that the anti-bacterial properties can help prevent conditions that lead to tooth decay. All of these studies have shown that wasabi is a potent functional food desired for human health.
Traditionally, the Japanese grow it in or near cold, shaded mountain streams containing the right mineral balance. In last century, people have attempted to cultivate wasabi in many areas outside Japan. Only a few regions of the world have been found to successfully cultivate wasabi and include small, specific regions of North America, New Zealand and China. There are many kinds of wasabi. Generally, they can be classified by the methods used for cultivation. Plants grown in mountain streams are known as water-cultivated wasabi, whereas those grown in fields are known as soil-cultivated wasabi.
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Chinese soil-cultivated wasabi |
Japanese water-cultivated wasabi |
Usually, Japanese water-cultivated wasabi is considered superior in both taste and appearance. However, the Chinese soil-cultivated wasabi strongly competes with the water-cultivated wasabi in appearance.
Wasabi is complicated to grow, primarily because it highly depends on stable natural circumstances. There are very strict requirements regarding the climate and soil. Wasabi prefers an air temperature between 46 °F and 64 °F with high humidity. Below 27 °F, wasabi will freeze and become damaged. Temperatures between 27 °F and 43 °F will inhibit plant growth, and temperatures higher than 77°F will induce uncontrollable plant diseases. In addition to air temperature, proper soil conditions must be maintained. The soil-cultivated wasabi requires a loose soil structure that sustains good water drainage. Volcanic soil is ideal. One drawback for wasabi cultivation is that it grows very slowly, often taking between 12-24 months to mature to its marketable size. Environmental conditions play a major role in plant viability and any alterations from the ideal conditions discussed above, during the 12-24 month period, can be catastrophic. Currently, only a few regions worldwide (you can count them by your fingers) are found suitable for cultivating wasabi.
Because of its unique flavor as a food condiment as well as its health related benefits, the demand for REAL wasabi is high and continuously grows. On the other hand, due to the difficulty of obtaining the resource, REAL wasabi is very expensive and hard to find in local foods markets.