What is Wasabi?
Wasabi is the green stuff served with each order of sushi. Wasabi is a root, (technically a rhizome), native to Japanese horticulture and is now grown in the Pacific Northwest. Because this plant requires a very specific climate and a rocky streambed, it is very rare and quite expensive, often over a hundred dollars for a pound. Nowadays, most restaurants use what the Japanese call Western Wasabi, which primarily consists of horseradish and a little bit of powdered wasabi.