Wasabi

use:
Wasabi is served in small quantities together with soy sauce for Sushi and Sashimi. Especially in Japan, wasabi is also used to refine roasted nuts, beans or peas as a snack. The mustard oils kill off unwanted bacteria in the intestines, the spice promotes digestion, as does horseradish.

tip:
Excellent with Sushi. Mix the powder with some water.

worth knowing:
According to a Japanese legend Wasabi was discovered in Japan hundreds of years ago.

Recipe suggestion:
Avocado spread: Cut 1 ripe avocado in half and remove the core. Peel the avocado halves and then cut the flesh into coarse pieces, place in a bowl and crush. Finely grate the skin of one lime, add it and further enrich it with 2 tsp. lime juice. Mix 100 g quark with 1 tablespoon olive oil and 100 g créme fraîche and stir into the avocado. Season with 1-2 teaspoons wasabi paste (stir before). Stir in 1/2 tsp. ginger, 1 tsp. chopped pistachios and 1 tsp. fresh coriander leaves (chopped). Season the spread with some salt and 1 pinch of chili powder. Goes very well with bread and smoked fish.

Botany:
Wasabi (Eutrema japonica) (jap. わさび in Hiragana script), also known as Japanese horseradish, water horseradish, is a plant species from the cruciferous family (Brassicaceae). The rhizome serves as a pungent spice in Japanese cuisine.

Home & Distribution:
As a wild plant, the species is native to swampy terrain on the edge of running waters in Japan and on Sakhalin Island. As a cultivated plant it is also cultivated in other parts of the world.

cultivation & extraction:
The plant is very difficult to cultivate because it only thrives well in running water. Wasabi from traditional cultivation in mountain streams (sawa wasabi [沢山葵, さわ山葵, さわわさび]) achieves better scores than the mass product produced by hydroponics. Recently, wasabi cultivation has also been attempted in New Zealand and on the American West Coast to supply the Japanese clientele.