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 .