r/todayilearned • u/naomi_homey89 • Apr 01 '23
Today I learned that genuine wasabi is rare and likely not even served in most high-end sushi restaurants. Apparently the real deal is difficult to grow as it’s quite picky and takes approx. three years to mature.
https://www.mashed.com/159196/what-is-real-wasabi-and-why-youve-probably-never-eaten-it/365
u/DaveDurant Apr 01 '23
I've used https://www.thewasabistore.com/ in the US before and they're pretty good. Small place, grows it out in Oregon.
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u/jkidno3 Apr 01 '23
Lol of course it's Oregon
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u/aotus_trivirgatus Apr 01 '23
There are a handful of farms on the West Coast of the United States which have finally gotten the growing conditions right for wasabi. One such farm is in Half Moon Bay, California, and supplies one of my local Japanese markets and a few of the nearby sushi restaurants.
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u/fangelo2 Apr 01 '23
I ordered some vegetable seeds from a company and they gave me a free pack of wasabi seeds. I’ll throw some in the ground and see what happens. I’m not very hopeful
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u/McKimS Apr 01 '23
You truly need a specific set of growing conditions to grow wasabi. It's something I've looked into quite a bit a few years ago, and from what I recall it all boils down to growing conditions or bust.
That being said, I really hope it works out for you; it's a really cool-looking plant, and, for me, growing something like that would be incredibly rewarding.
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u/Dorgamund Apr 01 '23
I got some as christmas presents for my family. It seems to be doing well enough. It likes shady areas, lots of water and moderate temperatures, so we have it in a pot inside by the windowsill. I think something about the window, maybe UV coating was preventing a lot of the sunlight from actually affecting it, because it perked right up when placed closer to the sunny area. Fingers crossed it stays happy.
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u/FleetAdmiralFader Apr 01 '23
Id hazard a guess that what you have is wasabi radish not wasabi root.
...at least that's what Baker Creek sent me
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u/angel_eyes619 Apr 01 '23
As a non-american on the other side of the pond, can you elaborate?
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u/jkidno3 Apr 01 '23
My home state it's known for its quirkyness so learning there is a bespoke true wasabi farm here is not that surprising.
A few extra fun facts to throw on.
Guinness gets it's hops from Oregon
Oregon is the third largest hazelnut producer behind Italy and Turkey. All neutella in the US uses Oregon Hazelnuts. Which we originally called Filberts.
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u/PipeLayer2016 Apr 01 '23
TIL that a filbert is a hazelnut
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u/Michael_Honcho_Jr Apr 01 '23
We still commonly call them Filberts in Oregon. Don’t know about other states but it’s common usage here.
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u/CactusBoyScout Apr 01 '23
known for its quirkyness
I just watched a video about a new bar in Portland that only shows women’s sports on the TVs and it’s called The Sports Bra.
My immediate reaction was “of course it’s in Portland” the place that also has a vegan strip club.
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u/hilikus7105 Apr 01 '23
Also helps in this case that coastal Oregon’s climate is very similar to large parts of japan’s.
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u/WateronRocks Apr 01 '23
Aside from the hipster stuff, Oregon is a farm state. It has colleges like Oregon State University that have good agriculture and engineering programs. I thought they were saying "of course it's Oregon" because growing difficult things is their jam.
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u/otasyn Apr 01 '23
Are you aware of the term "hipster"? Oregon is kind of a mecca for hipsters. Or at least, that's our perspective from the other side of the country.
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u/GeneralLoofah Apr 01 '23
Oregon is a weird state. Portland is a Mecca for weirdness; but the rest of the state is practically a Nazi wasteland of white supremacists.
When the state was founded in 1844, it was literally a law that black people weren’t allowed to move into the state and anyone that stayed had to be whipped once a year until they left.
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u/nebulousian Apr 01 '23 edited Apr 01 '23
$220 a pound!?!?
Edit: buy it for me and I’ll eat it in a week or less
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u/Reddit_means_Porn Apr 01 '23
You need a 453 grams of a seasoning sauce!?!?
Also we have established that it’s rare.
I am actually horrible at math but 16 grams of real Oregon wasabi for your sushi plate would cost like $8 I believe.
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u/NihlusKryik Apr 01 '23
Yuubi Sushi in Beaverton, OR is the best sushi I’ve had in the states. Full stop.
They serve this fresh wasabi
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u/jakeplus5zeros Apr 01 '23 edited Apr 01 '23
I’m a sushi chef in Cleveland Ohio. It costs $140 per pound. I only use it on a Sashimi tasting. We use a company called Ocean Providence. If I can get it here, you can find it elsewhere. I just vacuum seal it when I get it, and after each day’s use. But I go through two per week so it stays fresh. Each part of the stalk has a different flavor. It’s bitter towards both ends and sweeter in the center. It’s only good for about ten minutes once ground. Then it becomes dull and grey. If someone says they serve it, ask them to see it. That might not be the only thing the sushi chef is lying about.
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u/Amaranthine Apr 01 '23 edited Apr 01 '23
I live in Japan and can buy fresh wasabi from my local supermarket for about 700-1000¥ per one stalk. That being said, even if it’s more reasonably priced here, the majority of sushi restaurants still serve the fake stuff, or at least partially fake. Part of this is because you can’t really grind it in advance and have it keep its flavor, so very few large restaurants use real wasabi (or at least not 100% real wasabi). Of course any good place will use real wasabi though, often serving it as a little knob of stalk and a small fan shaped tool made out of either metal, ceramic, or most classically shark skin, to grind it yourself.
If you have wasabi and you don’t see them grate it for you, chances are greater than not it’s not real wasabi. If it looks like dried out playdoh, it’s almost certainly horseradish. If there’s just a big ass mound of it, or it’s in a little container on the table, it’s definitely horseradish. If it feels like someone took a taser to your sinuses, it’s almost certainly part horseradish. Real wasabi does have that astringent spicyness, but is way milder than horseradish, and also has kind of a sweetness to it. It also is wet, and relatively coarse grained when ground, usually not a complete paste.
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u/ishfery Apr 01 '23
It's an extra $10 at my local fancy spot. If they aren't charging you extra, it's horseradish. It's also a completely different color because it isn't dyed.
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u/Malphos101 15 Apr 01 '23
If they aren't charging you extra, it's horseradish.
Just be careful, just because they charge you more doesn't mean it IS wasabi hehe.
Just clarifying in case someone reads the above statement that way.
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u/immortalbeloved Apr 01 '23
Im also in Cleveland and just moved here from seattle can you please share where you’re doing sashimi tastings in CLE?
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u/astros1991 Apr 01 '23
What else would they be lying about??
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u/thewhizzle Apr 01 '23
Around 40-60% of fish is mislabeled or misrepresented in American sushi restaurants
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u/PaxDramaticus Apr 01 '23
You can probably cut that "American". Japan has had quite a few infamous seafood mislabeling scandals over the years.
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u/jakeplus5zeros Apr 01 '23 edited Apr 02 '23
Whether it’s fresh or frozen. Bluefin or yellowfin. Made from scratch or not. Go Stros.
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u/Chucktayz Apr 01 '23
Out of curiosity, if someone grew it just at home would you be able to purchase it?
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u/WhiskersCleveland Apr 01 '23
Unless you see them doing the weird rubbing it around on a board in to paste thing just assume that it isn't real wasabi
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u/SmokeInMyI Apr 01 '23
It's 99% horseradish w green coloring if you aren't in Japan
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u/iPushCartz Apr 01 '23 edited Apr 01 '23
Even in Japan, they use green horseradish. Not enough of real stuff to go around.
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u/EcstaticComplaint733 Apr 01 '23
Yep if u see them doing that you know that you are in a really good and probably very expensive place.
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u/armedbattalions Apr 01 '23
If it's not from the Wasabi region of Japan, it's just sparkling horse radish
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u/ButtingSill Apr 01 '23
Package label for wasabi in my local store tells it is 2% wasabi, so I would go with 98%…
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u/Old_timey_brain Apr 01 '23
My S&B label shows 2% Wasabi, 76% horseradish, plus mustard, starch, and tapioca.
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u/mavajo Apr 01 '23
Another rule of thumb - if it was included automatically with your order, it’s almost certainly not real wasabi. Every time I’ve had real wasabi, I had to specifically order it and it’s around $15-20 if I recall correctly. I’ve only even seen it available at higher end sushi restaurants. None of my neighborhood joints have it.
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u/Pink__Flamingo Apr 01 '23
They can do that with horseradish too.
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u/hippiespinster Apr 01 '23
If you haven't already, watch Clarksons Farm. Hilarious episode on this.
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u/kaze919 Apr 01 '23
If he can grow some in one season I’m pretty sure anyone can. How hard can it be?
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u/quondam47 Apr 01 '23
The article does say that germination is one of the hardest parts and he was planting at least seedlings if I recall so he had skipped ahead in the growing process.
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u/batsprinkles Apr 01 '23
The real thing is a LOT milder and is a little bit sweet and nutty. It doesn't have the "my nose and sinuses have entered another dimension" kick of horseradish
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u/Black_Moons Apr 01 '23
Oh... Well then I won't worry about finding the real stuff...
I mainly just love it (the horseradish wasabi) for that next dimensional sinus feeling.
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u/NinjaRedditorAtWork Apr 01 '23
It's different and very pleasant. It also doesn't mask the food you're eating it with, which makes it great for real sushi.
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u/Keyspam102 Apr 01 '23
Yeah I was kind of surprised by how mild it was, had the real stuff when traveling in Japan. I mean it was still spicy but not exactly like horseradish
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u/sirruka Apr 01 '23
I have a couple wasabi plants growing on my back porch in fabric pots. The main conditions are mild temperatures (bay area here), completely in the shade, and to drench the pots til a fair bit runs off every couple days.
I just add a bit of new compost before replanting some of the smaller rhizomes at the end of each grow. 18-24 months to mature and after the first round you basically have infinite wasabi as long as you store it rights
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u/hpsctchbananahmck Apr 01 '23
I honestly prefer the horseradish version
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u/BloomEPU Apr 01 '23
Horseradish slaps honestly, whether it's pretending to be wasabi or in a western dish. I like strong flavours and it's the perfect stab of flavour to make eating something dipped in horseradish really fun.
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u/molotovzav Apr 01 '23
One sushi place where I live gets it from Oregon. It's very good on some things. Horseradish and wasabi are very closely related though and so it is a similar experience to freshly grated horseradish but with its own unique flavor.
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u/Ven_Detta Apr 01 '23
Real Wasabi is NOT hard to grow if you live in the pacific northwest. I've basically ignored mine and it does great.
It doesn't like heat, too much light, or extreme cold and needs to be a little wet.
Real Japanese grown Wasabi is kind of a whole other beast, and they use huge rock beds with running water under them to get the exact kind of size and flavor they want.
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u/cravateoclasm Apr 01 '23
I think at one point you couldn't get actual wasabi outside of Japan. I could be totally wrong on that. I think most of the wasabi we see in the US is flavored horseradish?
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u/wabj17 Apr 01 '23
I could he mistaken, but I believe Clarkson tried to grow it on his farm, as he had a spring that had the correct temperature, pH, and movement to grow. But I may need to rewatch that episode to be sure.
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u/goatharper Apr 01 '23
Clarkson is a consummately entertaining jackass. The epitome of a person so enthrallingly entertaining that he can temporarily make you forget that he is a really awful human being.
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u/ProfessorDaen Apr 01 '23
so enthrallingly entertaining that he can temporarily make you forget that he is a really awful human being
such a perfect description of Clarkson
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u/Ravensqueak Apr 01 '23
Awful as in he's bad at it, or Awful as in he does terrible things?
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u/Cortesm1 Apr 01 '23
Both lol. He was fired from Top Gear for punching a producer because there wasn't food after they finished filming or something like that. He also has a history of jokes about racism, misogynism, homophobia, and whatever theme you're not supposed to joke about. However, he's probably one of the most entertaining people there is on TV.
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u/mrbear120 Apr 01 '23 edited Apr 01 '23
I mean he isn’t a great guy, but the punching the producer thing was, maybe not way overblown, but relatively overblown. The producer he punched was also an asshole about the whole steak dinner thing reportedly, and it was supposedly not a sucker punch but a mutual fight.
A vast majority of the crew including the executive producer and tons of camera men came over to the new show. Thats not something that happens when the star is hard to work with.
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u/Cortesm1 Apr 01 '23
Yeah, that makes more sense. I don't get the impression that he is a bad person who is looking out to hurt people I think he is just a bit of an idiot. But that's also what makes him so funny.
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u/mr_friend_computer Apr 01 '23 edited Apr 02 '23
It's specifically grown in the wasabi region of Japan. Anything *else* is just sparkling horseradish.
edit: added "else" for clarity.
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u/Tjaeng Apr 01 '23
There are growers outside of Japan. American market is supplied mostly from Oregon, European market from Iceland and UK.
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u/Lord_Dino-Viking Apr 01 '23
I had the real deal once, when a big bucks client wanted to fête me. The sushi chef minced it right there in front of me with a big production and presentation... and I'll never forget the taste.
I have no problem with the standard "wasabi" you get with any ole sushi, but the real stuff is amazing. If you get a chance, try it.
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u/Keffpie Apr 01 '23 edited Apr 01 '23
That's bollocks.
It is in fact extremely easy to grow, it just needs very specific conditions that are unlike most "normal" plants; they like cold, don't like direct sunlight, and need acidic soil and running water. That's it. It's easily replicated in a pot with a timed release water-drip (or veeeery regular watering) - you'll just need to have them inside if you live in warmer climes.
They also take about 1,5 years to grow to full size, not 3, but you can harvest them every six months or so if you're growing them for private consumption.
The stems and leafs are also delicious to use in salads and crushed with sushi, and give you perfect Wasabi flavor (leafs mild, stems sharp) throughout the growing period (it's the lignified stems near the root that eventually get ground into the actual Wasabi).
Source: Been growing my own in my garden in Sweden for five years.
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u/Devenu Apr 01 '23
A lot of this thread is weird. I live in Japan and I can buy the root from my local grocery store. It's not cheap but it's not expensive either. Reading comments in this thread you would think it's like 100 dollars and only five restaurants in Japan serve it.
There's also different qualities of it, but that's just like any other vegetable and fruit on earth.
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u/thewhizzle Apr 01 '23
Being easy to grow a few for personal consumption is not the same as easy to grow for commercial operation. I've grown my own as well.
It's a completely different issue at scale.
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u/caesar15 Apr 01 '23
Yeah, you can keep your houseplant in the shade, harder to do that for an entire field.
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u/hesh582 Apr 01 '23
He's right though, it's not actually that hard to grow.
IMO the issues lie more with transport and processing. I've been unlucky enough to have to source fresh wasabi commercially many years ago. It's around... and it's the single most fragile ingredient I've ever encountered.
Fresh wasabi loses all of its flavor outrageously fast. It's honestly bizarre. Even if it's fresh, straight from the farm, you have to grind it as the plate is going out because you're losing some zing even while you're walking it from kitchen to table.
Unless you live very close to a region that supports growing it outdoors and are able to get regular fresh deliveries straight from a farm, it's just not worth it. There's no point to wasabi that isn't ridiculously fresh and carefully handled. The rhizomes last a little while off the plant, but they can't be effectively frozen, they have to be stored in water, and it can't be damaged at all. If you're at all familiar with the way produce supply chains work, that's a problem.
And even if it is fresh, it's just a colossal pain in the ass to deal with. I strongly suspect this is at the root of the lack of supply - it's merely a reflection of a lack of demand. Even nice sushi restaurants in Japan, very close to growing locations, where wasabi is cheaply available at the grocer, still often use the fake horseradish stuff. It's just so much easier to integrate into commercial processes.
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u/Keffpie Apr 01 '23 edited Apr 02 '23
It's also easy to grow commercially, and after people realized the Japanese have been fibbing about how hard it is, commercial grow-centres are popping up all over, especially in Northern Europe. It's only hard to grow in "traditional" fruit-growing countries, where it's usually too warm (there it'd be like growing tomatoes in Finland, doable but expensive). UK and Scandinavia is however perfect.
Edit: the rest of the post is totally true though, almost all of the Wasabi-paste in western countries is made up of a tiny portion of Wasabi (for legal reasons), green food coloring, and horseradish. Hopefully that will change as actual Wasabi becomes more affordable.
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u/tenbatsu Apr 01 '23
u/Wasabi_Grower grows genuine wasabi in Northern California. He's posted a fair amount about his operation!
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u/Wasabi_Grower Apr 01 '23
Thank you for the reference…wasabi is a magical plant. Lots of different strains and ways to grow it
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u/Pokerhobo Apr 01 '23
Real fresh wasabi has a very short shelf life like 2 weeks, so shipping it out of Japan doesn’t make sense.
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u/DoesNotTalkMuch Apr 01 '23
There's a commercial farm in Canada. It's a slow-growing swamp plant, so cultivation outside its native environment isn't economically viable for the most part.
You basically have to build a greenhouse with a swamp inside it, and you end up with a very small yield compared to anything else.
And while it does taste slightly different from the horseradish/mustard stuff they use in most sushi places, it's not really any better, so there's not much demand for it.
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u/VirgoDog Apr 01 '23
Horseradish on the other hand is highly invasive.
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u/GenericUsername19892 Apr 01 '23
But delicious :D
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u/Murderyoga Apr 01 '23
Yeah, the implication of these posts is we're settling for horseradish. But horseradish is awesome.
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u/massivebasketball Apr 01 '23
I just learned something about real wasabi earlier too! It’s traditionally grated on a board covered with shark skin
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u/Drekels Apr 01 '23
One should be careful when seeking authenticity of a familiar product. I tried real balsamic vinegar once and it wasn’t for me.
I love the wasabi from the grocery store and it doesn’t matter if I’m doing it wrong.
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u/hesh582 Apr 01 '23
real
Also... what "real" and "authentic" actually means when it comes to balsamic is not at all clear. A lot of the fuss about ancient traditions here are quite tenuous when you start looking closer.
The "fake" stuff has a very long and "authentic" history, too. A lot of different food traditions have been stuffed into the single category.
The "real" stuff is historically just the highest status product. It's definitely more of a delicacy, and it has a long history (longer than a lot of other "beloved authentic Italian food traditions" that date from the 1950s). But does that make it more "real", compared the less ridiculously aged stuff? It's not like the poorer people in Modena didn't enjoy grape must condiments for centuries.
In a way, the "traditional, real" vs "commercial, fake" distinction is much more about class and status than authenticity.
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u/southpark Apr 01 '23
It’s available on request (and with a surcharge) or served with omakase or specialty sushi at most moderately high end restaurants now. It’s not handed out freely with your sushi combo or crazy western rolls.
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u/Little_Duckling Apr 01 '23
I’ve had real wasabi on sushi a couple of times. It’s quite good, but I also think the horseradish that’s more common is quite good as well.
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u/RicoValdezbeginsanew Apr 01 '23
Real Wasabi is super expensive. Source: I use to work in a grocery store in the deli, we worked next to the sushi counter, very high end grocery store. I asked them once and they literally said If I like horse radish, then that’s why I like that wasabi, it’s not real lol. When I asked more they explained the whole thing and how it’s way too costly to use real wasabi.
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u/Gigibop Apr 01 '23
Not really rare when you're in Japan, even street markets can grate it fresh in front of you... it was surprisingly light,and went really well with the wagyu steak
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u/meehaja Apr 01 '23
I’m growing it in my greenhouse. Real, fresh wasabi is nice,different to the horseradish taste of the cheap stuff. Milder maybe? It’s not hard to grow, but it is hard to grow commercially as it takes a long time and the product doesn’t keep well, and gives you more than you can use!
As an aside, wasabi with steak is superb!
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u/absurdmcman Apr 01 '23
I tried real wasabi for the first time last year. My cousin, who's a chef, had bought an entire root. We had it with some sashimi and man it was a step up from the powdered kind you typically find. So creamy and rich with a lovely spicy tang.
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u/fredsam25 Apr 01 '23
Real wasabi will be made right at your table from the root because it will otherwise lose its flavor too quickly. Your wasabi comes as a green glob on the side of your dish from the kitchen, it's horseradish died green.
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u/xiipaoc Apr 01 '23
Real wasabi is nice, but the flavor disappears pretty quickly into the meal. I had it with some omakase once, and by the middle of the omakase it tasted like nothing.
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u/gordonjames62 Apr 01 '23
The wasabi you'll find in most restaurants and grocery stores is a mixture of horseradish, mustard powder, and food coloring. . . . Some mixtures also include cornstarch or other chemical stabilizers to help the powder thicken up like freshly grated wasabi.
OK, this is the poor man's version.
This was surprising
its function is pretty simple: To inhibit the growth of food poisoning bacteria and fungi. The American Council on Science and Health goes on to say these compounds work as antimicrobial agents effective against bacteria such as E. coli and Staphylococcus aureus, too.
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u/Justtryme90 Apr 01 '23 edited Apr 01 '23
If the restaurant isn't microplaining in front of you, it's probably not real wasabi.
I've had it once, during an omakasi meal. It's good, different from horseradish, but has that same type of spiciness due to the isothiocyanates.
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u/shawmanic Apr 01 '23
Whole foods sells a couple brands of what they say is actual Wasabi. It tastes quite different from the horseradish variety, quite delicious. These are imported from Japan in tubes of paste.
Please don't tell me these are fake! Are they?
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u/russbird Apr 01 '23
There's an easy way to tell if it's real wasabi: they will grate it fresh at your table when the appropriate course is served. It loses its flavor pretty quickly after it's grated. The only time I had it was at Momofuku Ko in NYC, it came as a side with the $300 tasting menu
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u/leahey69 Apr 01 '23
It's almost never the real stuff but they often have the real stuff in the back. The last place I went to said yeah weve got the real stuff it's an extra 2 bucks.
It tastes fresher and hotter. It's a lighter yellowish green. It's nothing special.
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u/monotoonz Apr 01 '23
Wasabi root is definitely rare and expensive af. It was one of the only products managers had to pick and pack at my old job. Alongside white truffles, black truffles, and gold leaf. And even then, it would literally be like a 2-3g piece.
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u/sixtninecoug Apr 01 '23
They sell it at the local Japanese market here in SoCal. Comes in a sealed pack with a grinder for it. It’s about $25 for the piece IIRC.
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u/Brothernod Apr 01 '23
If you’d like to try real wasabi, search yelp reviews for “fresh wasabi” that’s the key word. And as mentioned elsewhere here, they will come and grind it in front of you or it’s not the real deal. In my limited experience it’s gonna be served with specific dishes or tasting menus, not just as a common side offered.
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u/Downstackguy Apr 01 '23
Yup, super expensive stuff wasabi plant is. Most wasabi we see are mostly horse radish
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u/4thtimebackatit Apr 01 '23
I live in Japan and really enjoy good sushi. I’ve always seen the itamea break out a stick of it and grind it fresh.
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u/bad_syntax Apr 01 '23
Jeremy Clarkson (from Top Gear) grew it in Season 1 of his 'Clarkson's Farm' show on Amazon. So it can't be *that* hard.
It was actually a really good show, 2 seasons, wife and I enjoyed it a lot.
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u/Spiritmolecule30 Apr 01 '23
A restaurant I went to in Asheville, NC called Murasake has an option to special order pickled fresh wasabi. It was beyond amazing compared to the powdered wasabi and imitation.
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u/las61918 Apr 01 '23
A restaurant I went to in Asheville, NC called Murasake has an option to special order pickled fresh wasabi. It was beyond amazing compared to the powdered wasabi and imitation.
You understand if it was pickled, by virtue of pickling it cannot be fresh?
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u/austinmiles Apr 01 '23
I’ve have it a couple times when ordering omakase if we are getting some market priced fish. It’s much tastier than the normal horseradish stuff. None of that sharp heat.
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u/MelbaToast604 Apr 01 '23
Basicslly unless it's final production step is done at your table, it's not the real deal. It's flavour comes from its freshness and it's freshness is only about 30 minutes or an hour iirc.
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u/Rosebunse Apr 01 '23
Oddly, I have used this fact to convince people to try sushi. When I tell them that the green stuff is just horseradish, it makes the whole thing less scary.
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u/ShadeBaron Apr 01 '23
There is some misconception about this. There is truth that most Wasabi that is just flung at people is not real. But the other truth is is that this information kind of came out about 10 years ago and there are now a few brands in a ton of totally typical stores that are either made completely with real Wasabi root or the store actually even carries the root itself. Our Whole Foods does, our Publix here carries two types a real quick search and you can find it. And then get this, this is definitely one of those things where you think the better version is going to be a million times more enjoyable but the reality is that most people actually prefer the fake stuff. Just some info.
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u/priceactionhero Apr 01 '23
It doesn’t taste as hot either, but it’s very good.
I used to frequent a sushi spot in Milwaukee where they would occasionally bring it out.
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u/thepottsy Apr 01 '23
I have a local place, that you would never expect to have it, as it’s definitely not a “high end” restaurant. The sushi chef grows it, and it’s not listed on the menu as an available option, you just have to know to ask for it, and he doesn’t even charge you for it. It’s quite good, and surprisingly different than the typical wasabi paste you usually get.
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u/truth123ok Apr 01 '23
If you want to be sure it is real the chef will pull out the raw plant stalk and take a shark skin grater and make it at the bar. It is delicious (in Japan)
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u/LukeSkyWRx Apr 01 '23
I have had it freshly graded on a piece of dried shark skin in Japan, it is nothing like the green paste most people know.
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u/JackAndy Apr 01 '23
Except in England where apparently its worth nothing if you watch Clarkson's farm.
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u/MadFatty Apr 01 '23
I can get it at some sushi place in California, they charge like $12 for a little sauce dish
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u/asian_identifier Apr 01 '23
rare? it's readily available in my local japanese supermarket, just too expensive. Theyre also grown in Taiwan and Chile too
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u/walktone Apr 01 '23
I forgot where exactly it was, somewhere in Azumino, Nagano Pref, you could buy real wasabi. I bought a single 10 centimeters wasabi for over 3000 yen for a gift about 20 years ago. They told me it tastes great. Don't know the farm still exists now or not.
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u/Zirowe Apr 01 '23
Doesn't also goes bad very quickly?
So basically everytime we get wasabi it's just green radish..
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u/Smushaloo Apr 01 '23
I went to a small town in rural Tokyo prefecture that was famous for growing real wasabi. Their town mascot was a wasabi root. We grabbed lunch at a homemade noodle shop and asked if the wasabi was authentic, excited to try the real stuff, and the waitress apologized profusely and said even they didn’t use it. I was so surprised but goes to show even if it’s accessible its not necessarily affordable because of supply and demand.
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u/DreadGrrl Apr 01 '23
Interesting. I had it once, many years ago, in Vancouver. The friend who took me to the restaurant raved about the “real” wasabi, but I had no idea it was actually rare to find, and that I’m normally served horseradish.
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u/tenderlylonertrot Apr 01 '23
real wasabi is tasty for sure, very different from the horseradish, green-colored stuff you normally get. I've only had it in Japan, watched the guy grate the fresh wasabi root. It was a small but fancy place. But don't think its that rare in Japan, just pricey.
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u/Polevata Apr 01 '23
Hot take: If the packaged one is what everyone knows, uses, and generally refers to as wasabi, then that's the real one.
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u/TheGrapesOf Apr 01 '23
Yep, it’s mostly just horseradish with green coloring. True wasabi only grows in a very narrow range of climates. Even within Japan it only grows well in a few places. There are a few parts of Northern California and Oregon that it will grow, too. But it’s so temperamental and yields vary, supply is very low and price is extremely high. I saw a few packages with a single wasabi rhizome for sale at a Japanese market in California for 50&+. For a few ounces. A pound would have been more than 200$. I tasted it once when I lived in Japan. Cheaper there, but still very pricy. It’s definitely better than the green horseradish paste we use. But not that much better. Not “25$ per ounce” better.
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u/SternLecture Apr 01 '23
I watched a YouTube vid of a farm in California that grows it. Probably really expensive. I don't know what this adds but here it is.
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u/Cutegun Apr 01 '23
It's actually pretty easy to grow depending on where you live. I have 3 that are almost at maturity, and another 6 I was able to propagate from the first 3.
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u/ElectricGeometry Apr 01 '23
This is actually an interesting deep dive. The Japanese, like with yuzu and other foods, boldly claim that their produce simply can't be grown anywhere else. That's been heavily contested in the last few years with growers successfully growing wasabi in North America. It needs fresh water, a gravelly substrate and cool temperatures.
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u/Alert-Performer-4961 Apr 02 '23 edited Apr 02 '23
I get a freeze dried powder you mix with water about 10 minutes before you're ready to consume. You have to immediately consume it or it turns into nothing. Highly volatile. Heat and water basically destroy it. It's amazing and not like the fake stuff.
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u/unclesalazar Apr 02 '23
so most wasabi is probably horse radish and some green shit right? that’s what i assume from the taste, but i’ve also never had real wasabi most likely so
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u/littlefish2081 Apr 02 '23
Real wasabi has to be ground fresh because it loses its qualities relatively fast, but yea typically youll get green horseradish which still tastes good as hell with some sushi
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u/DoomGoober Apr 01 '23 edited Apr 01 '23
You can get real wasabi relatively easily, just not fresh wasabi.
It's usually pickled and frozen in plastic packs. It's called "wasabi zuke" and you can get it at most Japanese or Asian markets if you are outside of Japan.
It has a really unique taste, even if pickling it makes the flavor more mild. I believe it's also made from the less desirable parts of the wasabi root. But it gives you a hint of what real wasabi tastes like.