S & B Wasabi Paste

Wasabi or Japanese horseradish is a plant of the family Brassicaceae, which also includes horseradish and mustard in other genera. A paste made from its ground rhizomes is used 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. Most wasabi flavouring in commerce is, however, ersatz, based on horseradish and food colouring.The plant grows naturally along stream beds in mountain river valleys in Japan. The two main cultivars in the marketplace are E. japonica ‘Daruma’ and ‘Mazuma’, but there are many others.The oldest record of wasabi as a food dates to the 8th century AD. The popularity of wasabi in English-speaking countries has coincided with that of sushi, growing steadily starting in about 1980. Tube in wasabi has become a staple item in Japan and throughout the world thanks largely to S&B, the first company ever to offer this version of wasabi. The S&B’s tube wasabi has authentic flavour, pungency and aroma of wasabi.