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I really like wasabi. To me, one of the signs of a superior sushi place is the sinus-clearing, head-rushing quality of the little dollop of wasabi paste they give you with your order. If I have to trowel on a big layer of wasabi paste on my nigiri sushi just to taste it, then I probably won't be buying sushi from that particular place again.
You may or may not know that most of the wasabi powder used to make the paste in sushi restaurants in this country has very little, if any, real wasabi in it at all. Usually, the powder is just extra-strong white horseradish with some green coloring added. Other times, there will be a miniscule amount of real wasabi included as well.
Apparently, the wasabi rhizome is difficult to grow, difficult to harvest, and extremely perishable, which explains why we don't get a lot of real wasabi. But this company grows "sawa" wasabi in places like Oregon and Washington and Tennessee (!), and sells whole fresh rhizomes online as well as wasabi powder and a few wasabi-based food products. (via)
Since the rhizomes sell for $45 a pound and you have to buy at least one pound, I don't suppose it's terribly likely that anyone other than a high-end sushi restaurant buys much fresh. A pound of fresh wasabi probably makes enough processed wasabi to last a lifetime. Luckily, the powdered variety comes in a more manageable and affordable amount.
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