Wasabi: History, Information, Interesting Facts

What is Wasabi?

The name ‘wasabi’ indicates both the famous green Japanese condiment, often used to accompany sushi, and the plant (belonging to the ‘Brassicaceae’ family) with which this condiment is prepared. The specialty comes in the form of a soft paste, generally served in a small bowl or alongside the food.

The history of wasabi.

The first written references to wasabi date back to 550 AD., at the beginning of the ‘Asuka’ period (538 / 710). They can be found in the ‘mokkan’: rectangular wooden tablets rediscovered in many archaeological sites around Japan. These mokkans are a sort of ‘post-it’ ante litteram, containing a bit of everything, from memos to expense reports and even short poems.
Other references of some importance to the plant are in the ‘Honzowamyo’ (*1), a medical encyclopedia dating back to 923, explaining its healing qualities, and in the ‘Engishiki’, the oldest collection of Japanese laws and customs, which illustrates how wasabi, given its value, could be used even to pay taxes.
This can be explained remembering that, at the time, the vegetable was not cultivated but only collected along the mountain streams where it grew in the wild: for this reason, it was rare and precious.
To witness the birth of plantations, it was necessary to wait for the beginning of the ‘Edo’ period (1603/1868): in this regard, it should be remembered that the legendary Tokugawa Ieyasu (1543/1616), first shogun and founder of the Tokugawa Shogunate, was so much in love with Wasabi (*2) to prescribe by law that it could be planted only in the Shizuoka region.
The use of wasabi to accompany sushi dates back to the end of the Edo period. Over the years, its consumption grew progressively, reaching the commercial boom in the eighties of the twentieth century, when Japanese cuisine became all the rage in the Western world.

Notes:
*1: ‘Honzowamyo’ (本草和名) is a medical encyclopedia, compiled between 901 AD and 923 AD (during the ‘Heian’ period) by Sukehito Fukane, court physician to Emperor Daigo;
*2: Probably because he recognized its remarkable medicinal qualities, or perhaps because its leaves reminded him of that of the ‘Hollyhock’, part of the family coat of arms;

The wasabi plant.

Wasabi (‘Eutrema Japonicum’), the plant used to make the famous Japanese condiment, belongs to the ‘Brassicaceae’ (or ‘Crociferous’) family, the same as horseradish, with which it is related. To develop at its best, it requires very particular conditions, above all a cold and humid climate: particular environmental characteristics which, coincidentally, can be found along Japanese mountain streams, where the vegetable grows in the wild. Such stringent needs have always made its cultivation particularly difficult. If we also consider factors such as the slow maturation of the stem (more than three years), its poor resistance to diseases, and its need for manual processing, we understand why wasabi is so expensive. Finally, it should be noted that there are several varieties (‘cultivars’) of this botanical species and that, currently, the most marketed are the ‘Daruma’ (aromatic and intense green) and the ‘Mazuma’ (spicy and light green).

The wasabi plant, used to prepare the famous condiment, since ancient times grows naturally in the Japanese mountainous areas, along the streams where cold and uncontaminated water flows. Its cultivation began during the ‘Edo’ period (1603 / 1868), mainly in the Shizuoka region (Izu peninsula). Nowadays the most suitable places are the prefectures of Nagano, Iwate and Shimane.

Wasabi is quite hot, but its spiciness differs from that of chili peppers. The latter contains, in fact, capsaicin (*1), a substance that stimulates the receptors of the mouth, the Japanese specialty contains allyl isothiocyanate, which affects those of the nose, often causing lacrimation: an effect that explains its nickname ‘namida’ (‘tears’ in Japanese).
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Although horseradish is widely used to produce a great part of ‘commercial’ wasabi sauce (or, rather, its substitute), it’s NOT wasabi. However, it’s important to remember that both plants belong to the same botanical family: the ‘Brassicaceae’ (also known as ‘Crucifers’).

Perhaps not everyone knows that ‘Wasabi’ is the name of one of the most famous films by the French director Luc Besson (2001). Very famous is the scene in which the protagonist, played by Jean Reno, manages to ingest a large portion of the Japanese specialty without any apparent reaction: this pushes his guest to imitate him, with the obvious, tragicomic effects.