Real Wasabi

[imloulou]

This is for lorilei and others interested in a 100% wasabi...not regular horseradish with coloring:

http://www.ethnicgrocer.com/eg/product.asp?catalog%5Fname=EthnicGrocer&product%5Fid=04783400008&AID=10273656&PID=1341917&cookie%5Ftest=1

I have used this brand "Sushi Chef" before. It is sold at our local Albertsons grocery store...so I am sure it is sold in other stores around the country.

Lisa in FL

[lorilei]

Well, this is good news. Sushi Chef is what I have in my cupboard.

And here I was panicking!!

This is good news for my jar of wasabi... no longer will he need to feel ostracized and neglected :)

[Gail]

Is this different from wasabi powder?

[laughsandlaughs]

How does the real stuff differ from the horseradish stuff we usually get? I once heard Sara Moulton say that she'd never had real wasabi, so I didn't feel that bad.

e.

[lorilei]

This whole discussion got started based on a comment I made on another thread, I think.

The background is -- most powdered wasabis are apparently fakes. The powder is not real Wasabi at all. The customary ingredients are horseradish powder (dried and ground regular horseradish), mustard powder, cornstarch and artificial color (blue and yellow).

Anyhow -- this information made me say BLECH!! And here we are.

[laughsandlaughs]

But how's the taste differ? The heat? I think most of us have only had the fake stuff, is the real stuff worth seeking out?

[imloulou]

Yes, it was from that post Lori.( 2 general questions prompted by the Oct. Issue was the heading) I probably should have said that:eek:

Lisa in FL

[imloulou]

Originally posted by laughsandlaughs
But how's the taste differ? The heat? I think most of us have only had the fake stuff, is the real stuff worth seeking out?

The thing that irks me is that it says "Wasabi Powder" on the label and it is not. Also it is artificially colored to be green. I am not sure about the taste...it is hard to tell through all the HOT! LOL!!

My grocery store has both...I dont think there was much of a price difference...I will have to check.

I'm certainly not throwing mine out...it is colored with Spirulina (algea) so I am not concerned about artificial colors...and even if it wasn't naturally colored I would probably just finish the jar and check labels next time I buy.

[lorilei]

I'm not really sure...

But here's the comments I found on the freshwasabi.com site...

"Don't be fooled. The green smooth textured clump on the side of your sushi dish is rarely real wasabi. More commonly it is ordinary horseradish with food coloring added.

Real wasabi is one of the rarest and most difficult vegetables in the world to grow. Few geographical areas are suited for growing wasabi. We are fortunate that our micro climate in Florence, Oregon is ideally suited for growing fresh wasabi.

Wasabi (Wasabia japonica syn. Eutrema japonica) is a highly valued plant in Japanese cuisine, used primarily as a condiment for seafood dishes. More recently it has found widespread appeal in western cuisine due to its unique flavor. Used as an ingredient in dressings, dips, sauces and marinades, wasabi is a versatile spice and is rapidly becoming one of the most popular new flavors. Wasabi has a heat component that unlike chili peppers is not long lived on the palate and subsides into an extremely pleasant, mild vegetable taste that even people normally averse to hot food enjoy.


Wasabi is a vegetable that requires intensive cultivation. The plant is a perennial that grows to about 18 inches high producing leaves on long stems from the crown of the plant. As the plant ages the leaves fall off at the stem bases and with time a rhizome forms which is the part of the plant that is used. "

[Gail]

Ah. Thanks for the info.

Apparently, I too have fake wasabi. Since I'm almost due for a new one, I'll know what to look for next time around.

Begone, ye fakes!

[TerriS]

As indicated in the previous post, I was under the impression that most wasabi, including that served in Japanese restaurants, is fake. There is a sushi restaurant in Washington DC (Kaz) that serves real wasabi for an extra $3 or something. I have yet to try it but I have been meaning to.