Real Wasabi. According to Japanese legend, wasabi was discovered hundreds of years ago in a remote mountain village by a farmer who decided to grow it.
He reportedly showed it to Tokugawa Ieyasu, a Japanese warlord of the era. Ieyasu, who later became Shogun, liked it so much he declared it a treasure only to be grown in the Shizuoka area. While cultivation of wasabi in Japan dates to the tenth century, and has since spread to Taiwan, China, New Zealand, Canada, America and elsewhere, this plant has a well deserved reputation of being tricky to grow, largely because it requires cold, pristine water with just the right balance of minerals. Today, commercial enterprises farm wasabi in mountain environs in the Shizuoka prefecture on Izu peninsula as well as in the Azumino plains of the Nagano prefecture.
Wasabi. Uses[edit] Wasabi is generally sold either as a stem, which must be very finely grated before use, as dried powder in large quantities, or as a ready-to-use paste in tubes similar to travel toothpaste tubes.[4] Because it grows mostly submerged, it is a common misconception to refer to the part used for wasabi as a root or sometimes even a rhizome, while it is in fact the stem[5][6] of the plant, with the characteristic pock marks where old leaves fell off or were collected.
In some high-end restaurants, the paste is prepared when the customer orders, and is made using a grater to grate the stem; once the paste is prepared, it loses flavour in 15 minutes if left uncovered.[7] In sushi preparation, sushi chefs usually put the wasabi between the fish and the rice because covering wasabi until served preserves its flavor.
Fresh wasabi leaves can be eaten, having the spicy flavor of wasabi stems. The Health Benefits of Wasabi. When it comes to healthy eating, Japanese cuisine has so much to offer.
From fresh steamed fish dishes to miso soup, the Japanese know how to eat for health and longevity. Fortunately, you donât have to travel to Japan to experience the Japanese style of healthy eating. Many products are available on regular grocery store shelves, and most cities have an Oriental food market that offers more unusual items. One Japanese food that has some surprising health benefits is wasabi. Wasabi is a root vegetable often ground into a paste and served as a sauce in sushi restaurants.