Wasabi (Japanese: ワサビ, わさび, or 山葵, pronounced [waꜜsabi]; Eutrema japonicum or Wasabia japonica) or Japanese horseradish is a plant of the family Brassicaceae, which also includes horseradish ...
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and mustard in other genera. The plant is native to Japan and the Russian Far East including Sakhalin, also the Korean Peninsula.: 133 It grows naturally along stream beds in mountain river valleys in Japan.
It is grown for its rhizomes which are ground into a paste as a pungent condiment for sushi and other foods. It is similar in taste to hot mustard or horseradish rather than chili peppers in that it stimulates the nose more than the tongue, but freshly grated wasabi has a subtly distinct flavor.: 53 The two main cultivars in the marketplace are E. japonicum ´Daruma´ and ´Mazuma´, but there are many others.
