Wasabi

Wasabi is a pungent Japanese condiment best known as the fiery green paste served alongside sushi and sashimi. Genuine wasabi is grated fresh from the rhizome of the wasabi plant, a slow-growing crop that's expensive and hard to farm — as a result, most wasabi sold in tubes, packets and sachets outside specialist Japanese restaurants is a substitute made mainly from horseradish, mustard and green colouring. Either way, its heat hits the sinuses rather than lingering on the tongue.

Ingredients

Prepared wasabi paste (the tube or packet kind) is typically made from horseradish, water, mustard, starch, a small amount of real wasabi, salt and green colouring such as spirulina. Fresh wasabi, by contrast, is simply the grated rhizome of the wasabi plant.

Nutritional Facts

Wasabi is used in small amounts, so it contributes very little to a meal nutritionally. Per teaspoon of prepared paste, it contains approximately 5 calories, less than 1 gram of fat and around 1 gram of carbohydrates, with a trace of protein and low sodium.