The Heat Is On

THAT PUNGENT GREEN STUFF THAT GETS UP YOUR NOSE WHEN YOU ORDER SUSHI MAY NOT BE REAL WASABI AT ALL

- Jennifer Stackhouse

If your only interaction with wasabi has been via the green paste that comes with sushi, then you might not have tasted wasabi. That hot condiment is most likely to have been made from horseradish that has been coloured wasabi green.

Horseradish is a close relative of wasabi but lacks its complex flavour. Horseradish derived wasabi paste is made from the root of the horseradish plant, while true wasabi paste is made by finely grating the base of the stem of the wasabi plant.

Wasabi is a very versatile plant and one that’s in demand with leading chefs and restaurants. As well as the stem, every part of wasabi can be eaten, including the leafstalk, the tiny heart shaped leaves and the small white flowers, which are seen in spring.

In Australia, wasabi is grown commercially in Tasmania and supplied fresh and dried around the country. This local wasabi enterprise is located near Port Sorell in the north of Tasmania and is the result of many years of breeding, research and development by grower Steven Welsh, who founded Shima Wasabi in 2000. It is now part of The Tasmanian Food Co.

At the farm, wasabi is harvested and prepared daily for delivery to restaurants in Tasmania and on the mainland and is also processed into wasabi powder.

GROWING WASABI