Wasabi

Wasabi is native to Japan and is a semi aquatic perennial with long stemmed, heart shaped leaves. Its inflorescences of white cruciform leaves reach 40cm. There are a number of varieties, but all form thick, knobbly rhizomes.

wasabi taste test
wasabi taste test

Grow the plants in very clean cool, slightly acidic alkaline running water, with plenty of shade. The temperature should be between 10° Celsius and 13° Celsius. Propagate from offsets of the rhizome. Keep the plant well shaded, cool and watered.

Using at home

This plant in paste form is served with sushi, sashimi, soba noodles and other Japanese dishes. I must say that for quite some time I used a lot of wasabi with our meals. There was a time I just could not get enough of it. I even did taste tests to make sure I was using the best. And I made my own from scratch using powder. Now, I seldom add this condiment to the table. It was like a phase that I have grown out of. We still eat a lot of sashimi but mostly just as is. Or with a hint of soy. I do not like the fish taste being muddled.

information sourced from The Complete Book of Herbs.

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53 thoughts on “Wasabi

      1. Love sushi, but they have to hide any wasabi in so much mayo that no-one else can taste it. I always happily give my wasabi lump to anyone who wants it 😉

  1. How often we eat & enjoy something yet never think about “Where & How it got here” Thanks for educating us.

  2. How interesting Tandy, I have known wasabi as a root, but did not know that was semi aquatic…thanks for the post…love learning more about food, especially the ones that we eat often 🙂
    Hope you are having a great week!

  3. I’ve never even thought what it was before it became that green blob on my sushi plate. I’m afraid it’s not something I indulge in, although my daughter can eat it by the spoonful. 😉

  4. I am not sure about wasabi. I always fear I will be one of those people, you see on the commercials, that taste wasabi and then run out with their hands in the air searching for water lol.

  5. I love wasabi and had no idea how it could be grown!! I normally buy the powder to make my own paste.

  6. Interesting. Did you know that some have taken to adding wasabi to sweet pastries? I believe Pierre Hermes uses it in a macaron and that some claim that the real stuff is almost flowery?! That alone makes me want to attempt to grow it! I suppose if I had a shaded stream it might grow.

  7. Thank you so much for this. I love wasabi and things flavored with it. I always tell my kids that it is Japanese horseradish but really didn’t know a thing about it. Thanks for this post.

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