Wasabi Addict

Wasabi paste is used in Japanese culture as a condiment that is often times served with shashimi (raw seafood) and sushi. It is green in color and has a very hot flavor. The flavor however doesn’t stay with you like it does with hot peppers. Instead, the flavor dissipates within a few seconds and can actually be toned down more quickly by drinking water.

Wasabi is made from the root of the wasabi plant. The root is ground down into a find powder and then has water added to it to turn it into wasabi paste. It can be served on the side of your dish or some sushi chefs actually put wasabi into the sushi before it’s served. This infuses the sushi with the flavor of the wasabi throughout.

Wasabi is expensive and very perishable and for this reason not all wasabi that you get in restaurants is real wasabi. It is typically made out of horseradish, mustard and green food coloring. Since horseradish is of the same plant family as wasabi, they’re very similar in taste. There are places that you can still buy true wasabi paste and some of the finer restaurants or sushi bars will serve real wasabi.