Imitation vs. Authentic Wasabi

Contrary to popular belief, the pungent green paste that most people associate with Wasabi is not the Japanese herb Wasabia japonica but rather an imitation product based on horseradish, Chinese mustard and artificial food colouring.

The Japanese export horseradish-based products as 'wasabi' because in Japanese, horseradish is known as 'seiyo' or 'western' wasabi. When horseradish was first introduced to Japan, the Japanese called it 'seiyo' wasabi because it's pungency is similar to wasabi. This is part of the reason why green coloured horseradish is now being exported from Japan under the 'wasabi' name.

Fresh authentic sawa-Wasabi is a highly prized culinary ingredient used mainly in elite restaurants and sushi bars in Japan. The rhizome (root-like stem) is finely grated to produce a light green creamy paste that creates a fragrant peppery flavour that quickly dissipates, leaving a lingering smooth sweet taste with no burning sensation.

Pacific Coast Wasabi has developed proprietary growing methodologies to cultivate high quality sawa-Wasabi in controlled greenhouse environments for the high-end culinary markets.

We also cultivate USDA certified organic field grown oka-Wasabi. Our oka-Wasabi is grown primarily for the nutraceutical and natural product markets for its bioactive compounds.

Agriculture and Agri-food Canada has identified Wasabi as a potential new crop for British Columbia. The demand for fresh sawa-Wasabi consistently exceeds the supply.

Pacific Coast Wasabi is poised to take advantage of this opportunity in the marketplace. We have expanded into a commercial venture with 7 satellite farms with 6 farms on the coast of British Columbia with one farm in New Jersey. Our mission is to provide a steady supply of high quality Wasabi to the culinary and nutraceutical markets.

>> Culinary uses of Wasabia japonica

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