- Spice
- 山葵
Wasabi
Heat in the nose, gone just as fast.
Flavor profile
The strengths are editorial judgments on a scale within the family, not measurements. They can be compared across the spices varieties, not directly against another family.
Wasabi is the hardest spice in the family to actually get hold of: nearly everything sold under the name is horseradish with mustard and green coloring. The real plant is grated on a piece of ray skin or a fine metal grater, because the heat only forms when the cells rupture, and it starts to disappear almost immediately. That is why it is grated at the table in the places that have it, and it is also why it must never boil.
Sensory analysis
Pyramid and character
Aroma
from the jar
- green sharpness
- mustard
- earth
Taste
on the tongue
- bite
- faint sweetness
- green
Finish
what lingers
- short
- cooling
- clean
Character 0-100 per axis, set relative to the other entries in the same family. An editorial judgment of a typical serving, not measurements.
Background
Facts
- Kinship
- Eutrema japonicum, formerly Wasabia japonica, in the crucifer family together with horseradish and mustard
- The compound
- allyl isothiocyanate, which only forms when the cells rupture during grating and is volatile; the heat flares up in the nose and rinses away with food or drink
- Grating
- traditionally grated on an oroshigane, a grater of ray skin or fine metal, in a slow circular motion
- Cultivation
- the Izu Peninsula in Shizuoka and Nagano are the famous areas, along with Iwate and Shimane; the plant demands running, cool water
- Confusion
- what is called kona-wasabi is a powder of horseradish and mustard oil, and that is the product on most sushi trays outside Japan
At the table
Use
- Dosage
- a dab at a time; the heat cannot be built up in advance
- Timing
- grated and used within minutes, never in a hot pot
- Note
- the heat peaks just after grating and then fades, so grate it last of all and do not stir it into the soy sauce if it is meant to be noticed
Keep exploring
Related in the Zukan
- SpicesFamily
- KarashiSpice
- SanshoSpice
- Wasabi-furikakeFurikake variety