Васаби – жапондық тамыржеміс және оның қолданылуы

Species of edible plant

Wasabi (Japanese: ワサビ, わさび, or 山葵, ) or Japanese horseradish (Eutrema japonicum is a plant of the family Brassicaceae, which also includes horseradish and mustard in other genera. The plant is native to Japan and the Russian Far East including Sakhalin, as well as the Korean Peninsula. It grows naturally along stream beds in mountain river valleys in Japan. It is grown for its rhizomes which are ground into a paste as a pungent condiment for sushi and other foods. It is similar in taste to hot mustard or horseradish rather than chilli peppers in that it stimulates the nose more than the tongue, but freshly grated wasabi has a subtly distinct flavour. The two main cultivars in the marketplace are E. japonicum 'Daruma' and 'Mazuma', but there are many others. The popularity of wasabi in English speaking countries has coincided with that of sushi, growing steadily starting in about 1980. Due to constraints that limit the Japanese wasabi plant's mass cultivation and thus increase its price and decrease availability outside Japan, the western horseradish plant is widely used in place of the Japanese wasabi. This version is commonly referred to as "western wasabi" (西洋わさび) in Japan.

Siebold named Cochlearia (?) wasabi in 1830, noting its use pro condimento or "as a condiment"; however, this is a nomen nudum, and the synonym Eutrema wasabi, published by Maximovich in 1873, is thus an illegitimate name. In 1899 Matsumura erected the genus Wasabia, recognising within it the species Wasabia pungens and Wasabia hederaefolia; these are now regarded as synonyms of Eutrema japonicum. In 1930, Koidzumi transferred the wasabi plant to the genus Eutrema, the correct name and author citation being Eutrema japonicum (Miq.) Koidz. Wasabi flowers appear in clusters from long stems that bloom from late winter to early spring. or stem, which must be grated very fine before use, as a dried powder, or as a ready to use paste in tubes similar to toothpaste tubes. The part used for wasabi paste is variously characterised as a rhizome, a stem, or the "rhizome plus the base part of the stem". In some high end restaurants the paste is prepared when the customer orders and is made using a grater to grate the stem; once the paste is prepared, it loses flavour in 15 minutes if left uncovered. In sushi preparation chefs usually put the wasabi between the fish and the rice because covering wasabi until served preserves its flavour. Fresh wasabi leaves can be eaten raw, having the spicy flavor of wasabi stems, but a common side effect is diarrhea. Legumes (peanuts, soybeans, or peas) may be roasted or fried and then coated with wasabi powder mixed with sugar, salt, or oil and eaten as a crunchy snack. In Japan, it is called "wasabi bean"; わさび豆; wasabi mame.

Wasabi favors growing conditions that restrict its wide cultivation – among other things, it is quite intolerant of direct sunlight, requires an air temperature between , and prefers high humidity in summer. This makes fully satisfying commercial demand impossible for growers, which makes wasabi quite expensive. Therefore, outside Japan, finding real wasabi plants is rare. A common substitute is a mixture of horseradish, mustard, starch, and green food colouring or spinach powder. Often packages are labelled as wasabi while the ingredients do not include any part of the wasabi plant. The primary difference is colour, with wasabi being naturally green. Fresh horseradish root is described as having a similar (albeit simpler) flavor and texture to that of fresh wasabi. In Japan, horseradish is referred to as "western wasabi"; 西洋わさび; seiyō wasabi. Outside of Japan, where fresh wasabi is hard to obtain, a powdered mixture of horseradish and mustard oil, known as kona wasabi, is used at a majority of sushi restaurants, including reputable ones. In the United States, true wasabi is generally found only at specialty grocers and high end restaurants.

Wasabi is normally consumed in such small quantities that its nutritional value is negligible. The major constituents of raw wasabi root are carbohydrates (23.5%), water (69.1%), fat (0.63%), and protein (4.8%).

Wasabi is often grated with a metal oroshigane, but some prefer to use a more traditional tool made of dried sharkskin (fine skin on one side; coarse skin on the other). A hand made grater with irregular shark teeth can also be used. If a shark skin grater is unavailable, a ceramic cheese grater can be an acceptable substitute.