Wasabi

? Wasabi
Wasabi crop growing on Japan's Izu peninsula
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Brassicales Family: Brassicaceae Genus: Wasabia Species: W. japonica
Binomial name
Wasabia japonica Matsum.

Wasabi ( Japanese: 山葵 or 和佐比; Wasabia japonica, Cochlearia wasabi, or Eutrema japonica) is a member of the cabbage family. 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 a chile pepper, producing vapors that burn the sinus cavity rather 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 cultivars in the marketplace are W. japonica var. Duruma and Mazuma, but there are many others.

Consumption

Wasabi is sold in root form, which must be very finely grated before use, or as a ready-to-use paste, which comes in tubes approximately the size and shape of travel toothpaste tubes. Once the paste is prepared it should remain covered until served to protect the flavor from evaporation. For this reason, sushi chefs usually put the wasabi between the fish and the rice.

Fresh leaves of wasabi can also be eaten and have some of the hot flavor of wasabi roots. They can be eaten as wasabi salad by pickling overnight with a salt and vinegar based dressing, or by quickly boiling them with a little soy sauce. Additionally, the leaves can be battered and deep-fried into chips.

Almost all sushi bars in America, and most in Japan, serve imitation wasabi because the real product is extremely expensive. Imitation wasabi is usually made from horseradish, mustard, and green food coloring, often as a powder to be mixed with water to make a paste. Since real wasabi loses its flavor if dried, powders containing real wasabi do not capture the genuine flavor.

Fortunately for those who either through malice or unfamiliarity come into contact with too much of this condiment, the burning sensations it can induce are short-lived compared to the effects of chile peppers. Wasabi paste bears a superficial resemblance to Mexican guacamole, a popular staple of Tex-Mex dishes, which catches some North American diners off-guard who are unfamiliar with Japanese cuisine. When used as intended, wasabi is also very tasty on roasted peas, or in small amounts on sushi or sashimi. Wasabi is commonly mixed with soy sauce to make a dipping sauce for sushi and sashimi. However, wasabi's flavor dissolves very quickly in water and the best way to enjoy wasabi is to apply wasabi after dipping into soy sauce or apply wasabi to the top of the fish and then dip the bottom into soy sauce.

Chemistry

The chemicals in wasabi that provide its unique flavor are the isothiocyanates, including:

• 6-methylthiohexyl isothiocyanate,
• 7-methylthioheptyl isothiocyanate and
• 8-methylthiooctyl isothiocyanate.

Research has shown that isothiocyanates have beneficial effects such as inhibiting microbe growth. This may partially explain why wasabi is traditionally served with seafood, which spoils quickly. However, if the quality of one's seafood is questionable, one should not eat it raw, with or without wasabi. It is not a treatment for food poisoning.

Cultivation

Since there is a severe lack of places suitable for large-scale wasabi cultivation, most of the "wasabi" served today is really just European horseradish dyed green, or a mix of horseradish with black mustard and chlorophyll for the same effect. In Japan, wasabi is cultivated mainly in these regions:

• Izu peninsula (伊豆半島)
• Nagano prefecture (長野県)
• Shimane prefecture (島根県)
• Yamanashi prefecture (山梨県)
• Iwate prefecture (岩手県)

There are also numerous artificially cultivated facilities as far north as Hokkaido (北海道) and as far south as Kyushu (九州). The demand for real wasabi is very high. Japan has to import a large amount of it from:

• Ali Mountain (阿里山) of Taiwan (台灣)
• Oregon, United States
• Mainland China (中華人民共和国) and
• New Zealand.

Without proper regulation, wasabi cultivation can be a major pollutant to rivers as it usually requires fertilizer such as chicken manure and constantly flowing water.

Preparation

Wasabi is often grated with a metal oroshigane, but some prefer to use a more traditional tool made of dried sharkskin (鮫皮) with fine skin on one side and coarse skin on the other. A hand-made grater with irregular teeth can also be used. Because fresh wasabi can be rather costly many restaurants prefer to use a powder mix substitute.

Etymology

The two kanji characters "山" and "葵" do not correspond to their pronunciation: as such it is an example of ateji. The two characters actually refer to the mountain hollyhock, as the plant's leaves resemble those of a Malvaceae, in addition to its ability to grow on shady hillsides. The word, in the form 和佐比 first appeared in 918 in The Japanese Names of Medical Herbs (本草和名 Honzō Wamyō). Spelled in this way, the particular kanji are used for their phonetic values only.