Beware of Imitation!

     Who can forget the sinus clearing experience after tasting wasabi for the first time?  Fortunately the burning sensation is short lived and easily washed away by more food and drink.  Unlike the oil based heat of chili peppers, wasabi does not linger but is more apt to hit and run, producing vapors that stimulate the nasal passages with its extremely strong pungency.



     The wasabi plant is a member of the Brassicaccae family, related to cabbage, mustard and horseradish.  And in some regions it is referred to as Japanese horseradish.  The plant grows naturally along stream beds in the mountain river valleys of Japan and is mostly submerged.  It is difficult to cultivate commercially and is therefore expensive.  It is its classic green coloration that marks the genuine article that is used as a condiment or as a powdered coating for peanuts and peas that have been roasted or fried then mixed with sugar, salt or oil and enjoyed as a crunchy snack.  Wasabi is sold as a dried powder, as a stem that is grated before being used, or as a ready to use paste squeezed from a tube.  But time is of the essence with wasabi since it begins to lose its flavor in a mere 15 minutes if left uncovered.  The leaves can also be used as they contain the same similar spicy flavor.  Some unscrupulous restaurateurs in an attempt to reduce expenses will substitute a combination of horseradish, mustard and starch that is tinted with green food coloring.  But it is a poor substitute for the real thing.

     One interesting side note...inhaling or sniffing wasabi vapors has an effect similar to smelling salts.  Researchers in attempting to create a smoke alarm for the deaf constructed a prototype alarm system that woke a deaf subject from sleep within 10 seconds when it released a wasabi spray in the bedroom.  That experiment earned the research team the 2011 Nobel Prize in chemistry!