Do you know the green paste that usually comes with sushi? Did you taste it? Mouth-burning wasabi is a symbol of Japanese cuisine. Let’s check what is wasabi and what kind of wasabi activities we can offer for you!
What is wasabi
Wasabi, a paste made from its ground rhizomes is used as a pungent condiment for sushi and other foods. It is similar in taste to hot mustard or horseradish rather than chili peppers in that it stimulates the nose more than the tongue. Wasabi, or Eutrema Japonicum, is a mountain plant, the root of which is used as a condiment in Japanese cuisine. It is a local species, similar to our horseradish. The small root is green with knobbly growths. The plant grows naturally along stream beds in mountain river valleys in Japan.
Wasabi paste is made by grating the fresh root. It is mainly used with sushi and sashimi. Wasabi paste is very spicy, and this miraculous root is known for its antibacterial and anti-carcinogenic properties. During the Edo period, the lack of fridges prevented people from keeping fresh fish free of bacteria. Wasabi, therefore, began to be used as an antibacterial, spread between thin slices of fish.
Today, many Japanese snacks using wasabi as their variants, such as wasabi-flavored chips, wasabi peanuts, wasabi crackers, even wasabi chocolates. Remember to bring home a tube of a souvenir wasabi paste, or if you love the fresh root it will be so much tastier.
Wasabi Experiences
Related attractions
Daio Wasabi Farm
The Daio Wasabi Farm in rural Azumino City near Matsumoto is one of Japan’s largest wasabi farms and a popular tourist destination. Visitors can walk along the trails leading through the fields and purchase wasabi products including wasabi paste, wasabi soft cream, wasabi soba noodles, wasabi beer and wasabi chocolate.
Official website: https://www.daiowasabi.co.jp/
Wasabi harvesting and processing workshop
Ohkura Village is a member of the Association of the Most Beautiful Villages in Japan, of which OOKURA-WASABI is an associate member. In Ohkura’s beautiful landscape and fresh air, we cultivate wasabi using only delicious spring water called “Masudama no Suzu” and no pesticides. At Wasabi Kobo Ookura, you can visit a wasabi greenhouse and get a hands-on experience harvesting wasabi plants. Have you ever seen a whole stock of a wasabi plant? The entire wasabi plant from the fibrous root to the leaf is edible. Enjoy a complete meal made entirely of wasabi!
