Wasabi
A pungent Japanese plant used as a condiment for sushi.
A pungent green paste, used as a condiment for sushi and other foods, is produced by grinding the plant's rhizome.[1]
Quick Facts
- Genus
- Eutrema
- Species
- japonicum
Facts from the source article.
Key facts and history
Siebold named Cochlearia wasabi in 1830, noting its use as a condiment, but this was a nomen nudum.[2] The chemical allyl isothiocyanate provides wasabi's initial pungency and is produced when the plant cells are ruptured by grating.[3] Miquel provided the first botanical description of the wasabi plant in 1866, naming it Lunaria japonica based on a specimen collected by Siebold in Japan.[2] The plant was moved to the genus Eutrema by Koidzumi in 1930, resulting in the accepted name Eutrema japonicum.[4]
Blooming from late winter to early spring, wasabi's flowers grow in clusters on long stems.[5] Vernalization, triggered by cold temperatures, causes wasabi flowering to start in January in Japan.[6] For grating the fresh rhizome into a paste, traditional practice uses coarse sharkskin, whereas modern kitchens employ metal graters.[7] To prevent fresh wasabi paste from quickly losing its flavor when exposed to air, high-end establishments grate it only at the moment of serving.[7]
A team from Japan received the 2011 Ig Nobel Prize in Chemistry for figuring out the optimal concentration of airborne wasabi to rouse sleeping individuals during an emergency.[8]
What the cited sources add
The North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox notes that wasabi is high in vitamin C and also contains vitamin A and iron.[9] The same source states that wasabi is studied for medicinal uses including anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties.[9] The Banjo Foods account explains that hon-wasabi is classified as sawa-wasabi (stream-bed grown) or hatake-wasabi (field grown).[10] Sawa-wasabi grows wild in cold, clear waters of mountain valleys and is cultivated in similar conditions.[10]
The Izu district in Shizuoka Prefecture is the largest production area for hon-wasabi in Japan.[10]
References
- Wikipedia, "Wasabi" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Morgan, "The Best Of Growing Edge International, 2000–2005", New Moon Publishing, 2005; Morgan, "The Best Of Growing Edge International, 2000–2005", New Moon Publishing, 2005 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Wasabi" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Siebold, "Synopsis Plantarum Oeconomicarum Universi Regni Japonici", Verhandelingen van het Bataviaasch Genootschap van Kunsten en Wetenschappen, 1830, p. 1–74; Maximowicz, C.J., "Diagnoses plantarum novarum Japoniae et Mandshuriae", Bulletin de l'Académie Impériale des Sciences de St.-Pétersbourg, 1873; "A Synopsis of Eutrema (Brassicaceae)", Harvard Papers in Botany, 2005, p. 129–135; Miquel, F.A.G., "Prolusio Florae Japonicae", Annales Musei Botanici Lugduno-Batavi, 1866, p. 69–212 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Wasabi" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "ω-Methylthioalkyl Isothiocyanates in Wasabi", Agricultural and Biological Chemistry, 1989, p. 537–538; "Biotechnology for Improved Foods and Flavors", American Chemical Society, 1996, p. 67–78; "Condiments – Wasabi: real vs. fake" (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Wasabi" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Matsumura, J., "Notulae ad plantas asiaticas orientales", Bot. Mag. (Tokyo), 1899, p. 71–73; "A Synopsis of Eutrema (Brassicaceae)", Harvard Papers in Botany, 2005, p. 129–135; Matsumura, J., "Index plantarum Japonicarum, sive, Enumeratio plantarum omnium ex insulis Kurile, Yezo, Nippon, Sikoku, Kiusiu, Liukiu, et Formosa hucusque cognitarum systematice et alphabetice disposita adjectis synonym; Koidzumi, "Florae symbolae Orientali-Asiaticae; sive, contributions to the knowledge of the flora of Eastern Asia", none, 1930; Iwashina Tsukasa, "Eutre en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Wasabi" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Eutrema japonicum", North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox, n.d. (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Wasabi" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Research Portal", rex.libraries.wsu.edu (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Wasabi" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Arnaud, "What's wasabi, and is your fiery buzz legit?", American Chemical Society, 22 March 2010, p. 48 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- "Winners of the Ig® Nobel Prize: 2011", Improbable Research, August 2006. facts only, no text reused. improbable.com
- "Eutrema japonicum", North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox, n.d.. facts only, no text reused. plants.ces.ncsu.edu
- "Varieties of wasabi About WASABI BANJO FOODS", www.banjo.co.jp. facts only, no text reused. banjo.co.jp
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Wasabi (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
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