Guess What Is This?

itunes: Jim Reeves, Twelve Songs Of Christmas (1963)

Guess what is this?



This is the raw Wasabi (ワサビ or 山葵 pronounced as Wa-Sa-Bee, not Wa-Sa-Bay), the root of the Japanese horseradish. In Japan it is called Hon Wasabi (本山葵), meaning original or true wasabi. It has to be finely grated with a traditional tool made of dried sharkskin with fine skin on one side and coarse skin on the other, as shown in the picture.

The one that we usually see in most Japanese restaurants is imitation. Since there are only few places are suitable for large-scale wasabi cultivation, and because such cultivation is difficult even in ideal conditions, most of the "wasabi" served today is really just European horseradish dyed green, or a mix of horseradish with black mustard and chlorophyll, often as a powder to be mixed with water to make a paste for the same effect.

Want to try the real raw Wasabi? It definitely taste better than the artificial ones. This is where we go, at Tampopo Japanese Restaurant on the basement level of Liang Court. The food there is authentically good Japanese. By the way, it's S$5 for the size of the Wasabi root you see in the picture.

Note: the info on wasabi is taken from Wikipedia.