page_title: Wasabi
section_title: Cultivation
hierarchical_section_title: Wasabi / Cultivation
caption_attribution_description: Sketch of a wasabi (Japanese horseradish) plant, published in 1828 in botanical encyclopedia by Iwasaki Kanen (1786-1842).
context_page_description: 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 chili peppers in that it stimulates the nose more than the tongue. Most wasabi flavoring in commerce is, however, ersatz, based on horseradish and food coloring.
  The plant grows naturally along stream beds in mountain river valleys in Japan. The two main cultivars in the marketplace are E. japonicum '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.
  Due to issues that limit the Japanese wasabi plant's mass cultivation and thus increase its price and decreased availability outside Japan, the western horseradish plant is generally used in place of the Japanese horseradish. This version is commonly referred to as "western wasabi" in Japan.
context_section_description: Few places are suitable for large-scale wasabi cultivation, and cultivation is difficult even in ideal conditions. In Japan, wasabi is cultivated mainly in these regions:
  Izu Peninsula, in Shizuoka Prefecture
  Nagano Prefecture including the Daio Wasabi Farm in Azumino (a popular tourist attraction and the world's largest commercial wasabi farm).
  Iwate Prefecture
  Shimane Prefecture known as its Hikimi wasabi
  There are also numerous artificial cultivation facilities as far north as Hokkaido and as far south as Kyushu. As the demand for real wasabi is higher than that which is able to be produced within Japan, Japan imports copious amounts of wasabi from the United States, Taiwan, Korea, Israel, Thailand and New Zealand. In North America, Wasabia japonica is cultivated by a handful of small farmers and companies, the most prominent of which is King Wasabi, located in Forest Grove, Oregon. In Europe, wasabi is grown commercially in Iceland, the Netherlands, Hungary, and the UK.
caption: A drawing of a wasabi plant, published in 1828 by Iwasaki Kanen
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