Ancestors, Hear my plea, Help me not to make a fool of me…

The other day, while having a sushi date with one of my favorite followers (and favorite people in general), I realized how surprised I am that I’ve become a fan of wasabi. I told you last week how I despise spicy foods, but for some reason I love a little wasabi mixed with soy sauce on a yellowtail roll. In honor of my new found love, here is a post dedicated to wasabi.

Wasabi (Wasabia japonica) is a plant that is closely related to mustard and horseradish. Native to areas along the cold fresh water streams of Japan, the wasabi plant is a very finiky grower. Under even the most ideal conditions, farmers have a tough time getting large yields. Being native to Japan means it obviously grows best there, but high demand has brought wasabi farms to the US. In the US there are very few places that have the proper climate and landscape to support growing wasabi. Most North American production occurs in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina.

That dollop of wasabi you smear on your sushi is actually the wasabi root after it has been ground down to a paste. Well, that’s what you would be eating if you were eating real wasabi. With demand for wasabi so high and crop production so low, wasabi is expensive! Most restaurants (even really bougie ones) only offer real wasabi to people upon request. What you get on the corner of your plate is a mixture of horseradish, mustard and food coloring.

But now down to the part of wasabi I think is the most interesting - it’s really good for you!

Wasabi contains chemicals known as isothiocynates that are known to help fight cancers, especially breast and prostate cancer. Wasabi also has natural antibacterial properties. A bunch of studies have been conducted and report that several varieties of bacteria known to cause food poisoning cannot survive in the presence of wasabi. Companies are now even throwing around the idea of using wasabi extracts in antibacterial products like soap. I obviously totes support!

And when you think about it, it’s really not a bad idea to throw some antibacterial wasabi on raw fish you’re eating for dinner.