Wasabi
This article is about wasabi, the food. For the computer application, see Wasabi (application).
\n| Wasabi |
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Wasabi on metal orishigane |
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\n| Wasabia japonica |
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Wasabi (
Japanese: 山葵 or 和佐比; scientific name
Wasabia japonica (syn.
Cochlearia wasabi,
Eutrema japonica)) is plant that is a member of the
Brassicaceae (cabbage family). Commonly known as
Japanese horseradish, it grows naturally along stream beds in mountain river valleys in Japan. It is green, and extremely strong flavored. Its hotness is different from
chili pepper, which burns the tongue; wasabi's strong sensations shoot up one's
sinus cavity instead.
It is sold either in root form, as a dried powder which is then mixed with water to make a paste (the hot taste develops after a few minutes, the powder itself tastes rather dull), or as a ready-to-use paste, which comes in tubes approximately the size and shape of travel
toothpaste tubes.
Fresh leaves of wasabi can also be eaten and have some of wasabi root's hot flavor. It can be eaten as waabi salad by pickling overnight with little salt and with a vinegar based dressing or by quickly boiling them and with little soy sauce.
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 chilis. When used as intended, it 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 best way to enjoy wasabi is to apply wasabi after dipping into soy sauce or carefully avoiding wasabi from mixing with soy sauce.
The chemicals in wasabi that give its unique flavor are the isothiocyanates including: 6-methylthiohexyl isothiocyanate, 7-methylthioheptyl isothiocyanate and 8-methylthioocytl 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 your seafood is questionable, do not eat it raw, with or without wasabi. It certainly is not a
first aid medicine for
food poisoning.
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. The demand for real wasabi is very high. Japan has to import a large amount of it from the Ali Mountain (Ali Shan) of
Taiwan. The state of
Oregon of the
U.S and
New Zealand are also producers of this condiment. Without proper regulation, wasabi culture could be a major pollutant to rivers as it usually requires fertilizer and constantly flowing water.
It is strongly suggested not to use a mass-produced metal
oroshigane to grate wasabi. The best tool to use is made of dried sharkskin (鮫皮) with fine skin of one side and coarse skin on the other side. A hand-made grater with irregular teeth could also be used. Without proper tools and technique, wasabi's flavor could be compromised.
The two
kanji characters "山" and "葵" actually do not spell anything close to wasabi when used in other occasions. The word wasabi written as 和佐比 was the traditional Japanese name first appeared in
The Japanese Names of Medical Herbs (本草和名) of
918.
External links
\n* http://www.freshwasabi.com/about.html\n* http://www-ang.kfunigraz.ac.at/~katzer/engl/Wasa_jap.html?noframes\n* http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/nexus/Eutrema_wasabi_nex.html\n* http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/proceedings1993/V2-051.html#Wasabi\n* Wasabi - The Best Accompanist of Sushi\n*
New Zealand Wasabi Limited: On the culture of wasabi\n*
The etymology of wasabi (in Japanese)\n*
Wasabi's History (in Japanese)
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Category:Japanese food\nCategory:Spices
