Wasabi!

Anyone who is familiar with Japanese food is probably also familiar with wasabi, the “horseradish” spice that is usually eaten with sushi, sashimi or zarusoba, or other dishes. I have been in Japan for, “quite-some-time” now, but just recently I saw a wasabi plant for the first time.

This small izakaya owner was growing it in her shop! I’m curious as to how this works out, because I have heard that wasabi can only really be grown in areas with an especially pure water supply. And this izakaya is in the middle of an alley in Amagasaki…

I do not believe that the wasabi she served in her shop was the stuff she was growing… Didn’t ask.

The bottom picture, is of the upper part of wasabi. The leaves and stems and stuff. Normally when we eat wasabi we’re eating the ground root portion. This was my first time to try the leaves.

They’re good. They are not as nose-grinding, brain frying spicy as ground wasabi root, but they definitely have that wasabi taste.

On a side note, normally, wasabi will make the upper part of your nose burn if you eat too much too quickly, right? I found this sushi shop in Shibuya Mark City, with wasabi so “good”, that not only does it hurt the upper part of my nose, but it makes the back of my brain burn with that wasabi-sensation.

Good stuff!

- Harvey