A member of the cabbage family.
Wasabi is sold in root form, which must be very finely grated before use.
Wasabi is difficult to cultivate because it needs very a specific soil type.
This is how most Wasabi is sold around the world.
However the above picture is not actual Wasabi root. It is colored, normal Horseradish.
The root that makes wasabi is exceptionally rare and expensive
Wasabi Root loses some of its flavor if dried, so if you're buying dried wasabi root it's still not the same as fresh wasabi paste.
You can pretty much only get the real stuff in Japan. If you'd really like to try fresh wasabi you could try this place WASABI.
Fresh leaves of wasabi can also be eaten and have some of wasabi root's hot flavor. The leaves are battered and deep-fried into chips. (I would want to try this)
Wasabi has inspired a song, "Wasabi Kiss", by Belgo-Japanese-Vietnamese music project AWAKEN
That's what I've found. Has anyone tried REAL Wasabi root? I'm curious what the differences are between that and what I normally get at my sushi bar.
