Hot and Healthy Wasabi Rhizomes

Hot and Healthy Wasabi
by author Gina H. Mohammed, PhD

 

Wasabi, also known as Japanese horseradish, is a pungently flavored condiment used in many Japanese dishes–especially raw fish (sushi and sashimi) and noodle (soba) dishes. Served up as a little green mound of condiment, wasabi is mixed into soy sauce as a dip for the fish, or is mixed directly into a bowl of noodles–with the amount of wasabi determined only by the diner’s “heat” tolerance.

This delectable spice is prepared from the wasabi plant, Wasabia japonica (also known as Eutrema wasabi), a Japanese evergreen. It grows naturally in cool mountain river valleys, along stream beds and on river sand bars in Japan. The plant grows about 60 centimetres tall and possesses a thick underground stem, or rhizome, which is the part most frequently used in foods. The rhizome may be grated or ground for fresh use, or it (and other parts) may be prepared as a dehydrated powder for storage. It’s not surprising that wasabi is likened to horseradish (Armoracia rusticana), since they are distant relatives. Both belong to the Cruciferae family, along with cabbage, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cress and mustard.

The medicinal value of wasabi has long been acclaimed. Japanese medicinal literature first documented it during the 10th century; it has since been the subject of many modern scientific studies. Chemicals found in wasabi have been reported to possess antibacterial and antifungal properties, to retard platelet aggregation, and to protect against cancer. Researchers at New Zealand’s Lincoln University have recently reviewed an impressive body of evidence that supports wasabi’s potential as a medicinal plant and as a possible source of pharmaceuticals.

Phytochemical Power

The phytochemicals in wasabi that are particularly interesting are called isolh-iocyanates. These are volatile sulphur-containing compounds that give wasabi its distinctive flavor, as well as many of its medicinal properties.

Recent research shows that certain isothiocyanates from wasabi have potent antibacterial action against the microbes Stapkylococcus aureas and Escherichia culi. Another study found that the vapor from allyl isothiocyanate–the major type in wasabi–can combat 25 strains of yeast, bacteria and mold to varying degrees. The biocidal properties of wasabi may act as an antidote to food poisoning, a possible factor in its traditional use in raw fish dishes in Japan.

Anticoagulative effects of wasabi have also been observed. For example, essential oils prepared from the leaves, petioles, rhizomes and roots of wasabi have been shown to inhibit platelet aggregation. Oils from the root were most effective, followed by the petiole, rhizome and leaf. Although the potency of wasabi extracts was only one-tenth that of aspirin, the isothiocyanates from wasabi had an immediate effect, whereas aspirin needed 30 minutes to work.

This finding raises the prospect that wasabi isothiocyanates may be used to alleviate inflammatory conditions such as asthma or even anaphylaxis. The ability to inhibit platelet aggregation can also be important in treating heart attacks. Dr James Duke, in his book The Green Pharmacy, suggests that a spoonful of wasabi each day may relieve allergies, especially hay fever. Wasabi, like horseradish, is known to be effective in clearing the sinuses.

Wasabi isothiocyanates may be useful in preventing and fighting cancer. Animal studies have shown that wasabi powder may protect against gastrointestinal tumor formation following exposure of animals to chemical carcinogens. Other studies have found that some isothiocyanates can protect against breast, stomach and colon cancers. Scientists aren’t certain how, but it may be through activation of the powerful antioxidant glutathione, which may help to detoxify carcinogens.

The value of wasabi in cancer prevention and treatment needs further study, since very high doses of both wasabi (or isolhiocyanate) and carcinogens have been used so far. and these may not accurately portray what would happen at normal levels. Also, there is some evidence to suggest that high doses of certain isothiocyanates, which can prevent tumor initiation, may actually act as tumor promoters if the tumours have already been initated. Wasabi would have to comprise about 20 percent of the diet to provide such high doses.

Could you Grow Your Own?

Bona fide wasabi is not the easiest thing to obtain, as this plant is a rare and difficult plant to grow. Aside from its native Japan, it has been coaxed into cultivation in Taiwan. New Zealand, and parts of the United States (like Oregon), where conditions satisfy wasabi’s demand for a cool, wet climate.

The best way to grow wasabi is by water cultivation, typically in gravelly beds along streams. The beds are irrigated by the flowing water, which keeps the roots and rhizome flooded bu! well-aerated. Soil cultivation doesn’t produce a particularly good quality rhizome, and hydroponics has not been successful. Wasabi plants take two to three years to reach maturity, or longer if growing conditions are not optimal.

Are you Sure You’re Getting the Real Thing?

What about that little dollop of green stuff on your plate of sushi–are you sure it’s really wasabi? it may not be. Restaurants commonly use a substitute mixture of regular horseradish powder, mustard powder, cornstarch and artificial color. It’s cheaper than wasabi, but tastes nothing like the real thing.

If you make your own Japanese dishes and use wasabi paste from a lube, check the package to see if there’s a grade shown. Prepared wasabi from Japan comes in three grades–GTade 1 means it’s 100 percent wasabi. Grade 2 has about 25 percent wasabi. and Grade 3 has no real wasabi at all. Grade 1 is hard to find in North America.

 

Gina Mohammed is a plant physiologist in Sault Ste Marie, ON.

Source: alive #208, February 2000

Write-up about growing Real Wasabi by Aaron Dahlstrom in WNC Magazine

WNC

Mountain Living in Western North Carolina

by Aaron Dahlstrom 

August 2007

Keepin’ it Real

What often passes for wasabi might be a little green lie

Many Americans who enjoy a little wasabi with their sushi have been fooled.  In America, the condiment that has served as a staple of Japanese cusine for centuries has become little more than horseradish and food coloring.  Typically referred to as “faux wasabi,” this imposter assaults the sinuses and burns longer than authentic wasabi.

Trus wasabi, grown from the Wasabia japonica plant, produces a much milder heat and more complex flavor according to Doug Lambrecht, owner and founder of Real Wasabi, LLC.  Lambrecht’s company grows the wasabi plant at their farm in Cullowhee, and they create products designed to introduce wasabi to the American palate.  “It’s a versatile flavor that complements a lot of things,” Lambrecht says. ” Its a rounder and fuller flavor, and the heat dissipates very quickly, leaving a sweet taste in the back of your mouth.”

Growers use every leaf and stem from the wasabi plant, but the most valued portion is known as the rhizome-the thick underground stem.  Inside the rhizome are all the rich nutrients that give the plant ist distinctive flavor.

Growing wasabi can be tricky.  Because of its love for cold, damp climates, there are few places in North America capable of growing the plant.  The best tasting plants, sawa wasabi, thrive in gravel beds flooded with pure spring water.  Lambrecht expected the mountains of Western North Carolina could provide ideal conditions for this type of cultivation, and Real Wasabi was born.  He and his business partner, Brooks Quinn, traveled to Japan in 2005 to learn the best techniques for growing the plant straight from the source.  Back home he “put some plants in the stream and they thrived,” he says.  Lambrecht and other wasabi farmers who supply his company are only a handful of wasabi growers in North America and the only growers of sawa wasabi in the states.

Certified Organic, Real Wasabi’s products include dressings, sauces, powders and wasabi flavored nuts, all of which can be used to create a variety of dishes from wasabi chicken saute’ to mashed potatoes.

Thanks, Aaron!

Wasabi as a cross-cultural meme

Wasabi floating about in space has been deemed newsworthy of late, but wasabi myths in cyberspace still abound and a bigger story – one of a significant cultural/culinary evolution quietly taking place right under our noses,  remains largely unreported:

Savvy chefs, scientists, foodies and consumers in-the-know are increasingly discovering that most wasabi isn’t!  The resulting groundswell of re-education is rapidly shifting popular public opinion, fast becoming a cross-cultural meme with far-reaching implications.  The redefinition of just what wasabi is and isn’t is even changing the oft-cited Wikipedia official definition, with some interesting financial, cultural, culinary and indeed global side-effects.  This may seem a lot of flap over a mere condiment, but potential health benefits, heritage, taste and the truth are all at stake – along with millions of dollars and yen. 

Although wasabi is commonly equated to “Japanese (or green) horseradish”, no such thing actually exists.  Japanese Horseradish is a marketing term made-up to exalt the common (white) horseradish used in inexpensive imitation “wasabi” concoctions along with mustard and food coloring.  Wasabi is not a horseradish of a different color and sadly, fake or “faux” wasabi rarely contains any authentic wasabi at all.

The taste of genuine wasabi is not burning or acrid, but a warm, tolerable explosion that quickly fades to a slightly sweet, lingering finish (if this sounds a bit like high-brow wine-speak, one can only say: complex flavors tend to lead down that path). Real wasabi does not give you the same lasting assult of sinus-clearing fire as horseradish.  Rather, a pleasant but moderate and short-lived rush is quickly followed by nuanced layers of memorable notes and a unique sweetness on the back of the tongue.  This is a hard-to grow princely rhizome, not a common horseradish root. That’s why it earns the big bucks.

Wasabi and horseradish, both members of the Brassicaceae family, share some pungent qualities, but Wasabia japonica(wasabi) is a separate genus with its own species and cultivars, quite distinct from Armoracia rusticana (horseradish) in commercial value, growth habit, chemistry and taste.  The real deal takes much longer and is much harder to grow than horseradish and, if found, typically costs ten to twenty times more than its weedy cousin. Wasabia japonica has grown wild for millennium in misty mountain stream beds; but its cultivation in Japan dates to the tenth century. It is tricky to cultivate, requiring cool, damp conditions— it likes cold, pristine water with just the right balance of minerals.  The Japanese have long cherished and revered wasabi as a condiment with noodles, sushi and especially sashimi.

In the past decade the Japanese culture, especially foods, have become all the rage in America, to the point of attaining ”flavored nation” status.  Chefs and foodies are seeking out authentic Japanese ingredients and none fits the bill more that wasabi.  If you can even find it, expect to pay between $70 and $100 per pound (at seven to ten roots per pound, that’s $8 to $10 for one root); One American purveyor, Real Wasabi, LLC, based in Hilton Head Island, S.C., will even provide fresh rhizomes via FedEx overnight. To have authentic fresh, Sawa Wasabi (water grown) delivered straight to your door, simply click here.

Note:  Parts of this article are derived, with permission, from copyrighted material posted at www.thenibble.com .

Real Wasabi for Breakfast?

   In today’s multi-cultural, fusion kitchens the emphasis is clearly on heathy eating and innovative uses of ingredients.  Sometimes the very simplest ideas are the best.

Chelsea Vurciaga, a talented e-mail marketing consultant of Boulder, CO, recently commented that she sprinkles Real Wasabi™ powder on her scrambled eggs some mornings.  She also mentioned she uses it on nachos and enthusiastically proclaims both applications are very satisfying to her Hispanic palate.  These “nacho average” uses got our attention, so we inquired why.  “Wasabi is clearly healthy and it adds a wonderful unique flavor that compliments many foods, so I thought why not.  I absolutely love the taste of Real Wasabi™ so I’m trying it on all sorts of things.”

We applaud Chelsea’s innovative way of integrating heart-healthy wasabi in her diet and we’re rewarding her commitment to her health and innovative recipe ideas by sending her a Real Wasabi Tee shirt. 

Authentic wasabi delivers unique,  subtle yet complex and incredibly versatile flavors to a host of applications from martinis to mashed potatoes.  Do you have a unique way of using wasabi? Submit your recipe to info@realwasabi.com.
If we elect to publish it we’ll thank you with your choice of a Real Wasabi Tee Shirt or Hat.

Why authentic wasabi tastes unique

The truth is, most so called wasabi isn’t, and the majority of products claiming to contain wasabi don’t.      Sadly, what passes for wasabi in most stores and eating establishments is a faux mixture of horseradish, mustard, corn starch and food coloring.  True Wasabi is markedly different from faux wasabi.

 Whether served via fresh grated rhizomes, reconstituted as a paste, or in main dishes, sides, sauces, or in hors d’oeuvres, the flavors of authentic wasabi delight discriminating palates.   Most notably, the heat of authentic Wasabia japonica is both agreeable and tolerable, but disapates quickly, leaving a unique and memorable sweetness that lingers in the back of your mouth.  Real Wasabi™ is valued by chefs and gourmands the world over for the Fiery Taste, Smooth Finish™ that it lends to sushi, sashimi, soba noodles or imparts to innovative fusion preparations. 

It is the process of grating and preparation before serving that optimizes wasabi’s unique pungent flavor. Traditionally, the fresh wasabi rhizome is washed, the top end is cut off and it is then pressed tightly against an “Oroshi” grater, a piece of sharkskin mounted on a wooden or ceramic paddle. Using a tight circular motion, the rhizome is carefully grated to produce a small pile of mashed plant particles. While the traditional oroshi is considered ideal, a small toothed or nubbed stainless steel or ceramic grater may be used, the finer the better.  Some chefs also use the back of a knife to further crush the wasabi particles to maximize the release of flavors.

The purpose of grating is to break open the cells of the plant so that the chemical compounds contained within can intermingle and transmute. Technically, it is the exposure of wasabi’s glucosinolates with the enzyme myrosianse that releases isothiocynates, the active compounds that produce wasabi’s unique taste and are also nutritionally beneficial.

When a suitable amount of wasabi has been grated, gather and press it by hand into a small ball and let it relax at room temperature so that the chemical process can take place. Like a fine old wine, the grated wasabi needs some time to breathe, but no too much time, to maximize its flavor. The compounds released are quite volatile and the flavor will dissapate with too much exposure to air.

Timing is important. Generally about ten minutes after preparation is the optimum time to serve the prepared Real Wasabi™ paste.  Be advised however, the flavor will “peak” after about twenty to thirty minutes. If this occurs and the meal is still ongoing, you can re-invigorate the flavors by vigourously re-mixing it and again regrouping it back into a tight little pile.  Some chefs suggest adding a pinch of sugar to re-ignite the enzyme reactions.  Adding some freshly grated wasabi will also help it gain a second wind.

More information about authentic Wasabia japonica is avaialable at www.realwasabi.com

sabi

Hello world!

With this blog, we stake humble claim to a small corner of the online world to explore the remarkable attributes of authentic wasabi. 

Here we look forward to exchanging ideas, recipes, news, new product announcements, scientific developments and excitement. Wasabia Japonica is clearly one of the world’s most interesting plants (albeit least understood) from both a culinary and nutraceutical perspective. We look forward to exploring its remarkable flavours and buzz with you, as well as providing updates about our company, our products and most importantly, providing an avenue for your feedback. 

We welcome and invite your active participation.

Best,

Team Wasabi  at Real Wasabi, LLC, Hilton Head Island, SC