Real Wasabi

[DaveFaris]

Two recent threads discussing english mustard and homemade sushi reminded me about wasabi, which I just learned that unless you live in Japan, and are very rich, what we've been told is wasabi paste is actually a bogus mixture containing regular horseradish and chinese mustard and green food coloring. That wasabi is difficult to grow, and supply never meets demand, and so North Americans and Europeans never get the chance to eat the real stuff.

Frankly, I'm a bit crushed. I mean, I always knew that wasabi had the same effect on the back of my nose that chinese mustard had...

Has anyone out there ever had real wasabi, and does the imitation wasabi come close to the real?

[Jinmyo]

Yes, I have. No, it doesn't.

There's someone growing it on the Pacific coast.

Wait a minute and see if I can find the website.

edit:

Here it is.

They sell the plants and real wasabi paste. Not too expensive.

"One pound 100% Real Wasabi Paste - 12 tubes (43g each) $49.90 + Shipping and Handling"

Edited December 22, 2002 by Jinmyo (log)

[stefanyb]

Has anyone out there ever had real wasabi, and does the imitation wasabi come close to the real?

Yes, you can get the real thing here in NYC. On my one and only trip to Jewel Bako it was one of the "specials" at $12 a blob.

[mamster]

They only serve real wasabi at Mashiko, the Seattle sushi place we're always raving about on Pacific Northwest. It's definitely different, although to me it wasn't night-and-day.

[Jinmyo]

$12 a blob?

I should stick some tubes in my bag and go to the Big City to make my fortune.

[nightscotsman]

Uwajimaya, the Asian supermarket here in Seattle, sells real grated wasabi. If I remember correctly it was more expensive than the faux powdered stuff, but not outrageous.

[mikeczyz]

I had fresh grated wasabi here in Chicago at TRU. I found it to be really different from paste, as the fresh was more fruity and floral. It's really really cool!

mike

[guajolote]

There was an article in Saveur a couple of years ago (sep. 1999?) about a farm in Oregon where they were growing wasabi in a greenhouse. The farm had lots of security, razor wire topped fences, cameras etc., to keep out spies from Japan who were trying to find out how to grow it indoors.

[Schielke]

Yeah, I saw fresh whole wasabi root at Uwajimaya here in Seattle. It was 69 bucks a pound....

Ben

[DaveFaris]

Thanks for the link, Jinmyo. I just ordered half a pound of it, and I'll be giving most of it away as christmas gifts to my sushi loving friends and family.

[tommy]

There was an article in Saveur a couple of years ago (sep. 1999?) about a farm in Oregon where they were growing wasabi in a greenhouse.  The farm had lots of security, razor wire topped fences, cameras etc.,  to keep out spies from Japan who were trying to find out how to grow it indoors.

i'm guessing that was pacific farms, which jinmyo provided a like for up top here. they are apparently *the* goto source for this stuff. i just might give them a shot! the link again.

[DaveFaris]

It's interesting that they sell wasabi plants. If I were doing another garden this summer (which, sadly, I'm not, since I am moving into a highrise apartment complex in a few weeks... ), I'd surely try my hand at growing it. I wonder if it is as invasive as common horseradish is said to be?

[=Mark]

I'd surely try my hand at growing it. I wonder if it is as invasive as common horseradish is said to be?

At $69 a pound I would think not...

[guajolote]

I'd surely try my hand at growing it. I wonder if it is as invasive as common horseradish is said to be?

The article in Savuer said it grows in mountain streams with very cold running water high in minerals, so the garden thing is probably not feasible.

[DaveFaris]

oi. I guess I'll try and think before I post next time, Mark.

[jaybee]

I should stick some tubes in my bag and go to the Big City to make my fortune.

Q. (passerby) Yo, wassup?

A. (Jin) Wassabi.

Q. (passerby) Word?

A. (Jin) Word.

Q. (passerby) You sellin?

A. (Jin) Nickle tubes.

(Passerby) You have the right to remain silent, Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law...

(Jin) No, man, wassabi!

(passerby) Word. Yo wassabi sistah.

[torakris]

Don't worry too much about not eating real wasabi, most Japanese have never eaten the real stuff either. Occasionally it can be found in supermarkets in Japan (usually about $5 to $6 for a large finger) but it doesn't seem to be a really popular product. Most people are happy with the tubed stuff (which contains real wasabi) rather than grating it themselves. The tubes only cost about $1 to $2.

I don't know anyone in Japan who uses the powdered stuff, in fact I think I have only seen it once.

I prefer the freshly grated but don't find it worth my time to search it out.

[NewFoodie]

Is it true that the wasabi sold in supermarkets and served in most sushi restaurants in the U.S. is not really "real" wasabi?  I keep reading that it's really some kind of horshradish, but it doesn't look, taste or smell anything like horshradish to me.

[ElsieD]

Yes, it's true.

[pastrygirl]

Yup, it's true.  http://www.thewasabistore.com/about-wasabi/

 

Apparently it is tricky to grow, prefers a continual source of cool running water.  I've seen it at Uwajimaya (local Asian supermarket chain) for something like $45 a pound, and some sushi restaurants here offer "real wasabi" for a small upcharge.

[dcarch]

Which tastes better?

 

dcarch

[Anna N]

Some interesting stuff about wasabi

http://news.nationalpost.com/2013/09/13/b-c-farmers-may-help-solve-wasabi-shortage-with-top-secret-way-to-grow-japanese-quality-horseradish-abroad/

[huiray]

PCW has several growing sites in North America, yes. http://www.wasabia.com/

 

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The operation called Frog Eyes Wasabi Farm in Oregon, referred to also by Pastrygirl above, does not seem like they are part of the PCW empire, though.  (Are they?)

 

http://www.thewasabistore.com/

 

Youtube video about a visit to this farm.

 

An article about the founders of Frog Eyes Wasabi Farm.

 

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A pdf article about growing wasabi in the Pacific Northwest of North America.

 

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There is an imported tubed form of hon-wasabi (本わさび; "real wasabi"), produced/marketed by Kameya, described as Izu oroshi-wasabi (grated wasabi from Izu (a famous Japanese wasabi-growing area)) which can be found in specifically Japanese markets/groceries - at least in my area.  I've shown what the tube looks like on the left in the second picture in this post here on eG and which essentially is also what the box packaging the tube looks like on the front of the box (webpage for the stuff).

Edited August 20, 2014 by huiray (log)

[nickrey]

Which tastes better?

 

dcarch

Real Wasabi by a long stretch. The key flavour components of formulated wasabi are mustard, horseradish, and green food colouring. While real Wasabi is related to horseradish through familial association, which might tempt people to say it is the same, it is also similarly related to cabbage. Real wasabi tastes significantly different from the green paste most people are used to.

[huiray]

Here is an episode of Kodoku no Gurume where the protagonist pigs out on stuff featuring wasabi (and which also touches on the proper way of grating it - on an oroshi) (yes, this link is English-subtitled)

http://www.gooddrama.net/japanese-drama/kodoku-no-gurume-season-3-episode-3