Real Wasabi or Fake Wasabi? Is there a difference?

I have been eating sushi in the US for years and I was shocked when I couldn't answer, What does wasabi taste like? See the Wasabi that we eat in most sushi restaurants is actually not real wasabi. That wasabi might be simply just horseradish with some green food coloring. Real wasabi rhizome is very difficult to grow and cultivate making it unlikely to be served unless you are paying a premium. So I paid that premium to see for myself what real wasabi tastes like.
Hope you enjoy!

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[msbrownbeast]

0:42 The one and only reason why most restaurants (even those in Japan) would use horseradish and food coloring instead of real wasabi is: food cost. Real wasabi is very expensive, difficult to source from suppliers, and does not keep well. Even in Japan, many sushi shops do not use the real stuff.
As as rule of thumb, the sushi shops that do use real wasabi would be the higher end places and would likely grate the roots in front of the customers, so if your "wasabi" appears as a little light green clump on your plate, chances are that it's not the real stuff.

[BeccaMoses]

Feeling vsauce vibes but with food and i’m here for it

[ItsFadiSalam]

I hate it, it’s way way to spicy not spicy but so powerful taste that comes out of ur head

[internetshaquille]

This is by far my new fav saucestache vid. More narrative than nerdy vox-style "did u know that wasabi isnt real!!!" content, with the saucy boy we all know and love adding a real-time personal experience. Dam.... more of this pls.

[mustafabader]

The 1st time I had sushi I thought wasabi (fake one) somekind of mashed avocado, until I felt that taste, I won't try it again.

[Copyrightme]

I like to think of it as a ball of green coffee. It'll wake you up in the middle of the day. It'll also commit any moment you're in to memory. I love the rush.

[TheHellpoy]

Thanks! A very informative video.
Never imagined that the restaurant-wasabi is actually just a combination of such common ingredients.

[apha]

I have found you can buy wasabi in the grocery store. Provided the ingredients are not lying. I was in the oriental food section and there was a small bottle for $3. That said, "Genuine Wasabi." The ingredients said, "Wasabi, " and did not list horseradish in the rest of its ingredients.

As far as taste goes as I used up the bottle to season my food, it really does taste a great deal like horseradish so I can see why restaurants and food items use it instead of the more expensive root.

[headchefmomkendalllawrence]

What a great video. So very informative. I'm sure I've never had real wasabi. I am very curious to try some now.

[Poodleinacan]

Horseradish is also a bit sweet.
The main difference is that horseradish has a flavour that more resembles parsnips (minus it's dominant flavour, if you get me). I don't like parsnips, but I find horseradish to have a similar but better flavour when cooked. It tastes more like a sweet and creamy earthy flavour (earthy like a sweet potato would). When very well cooked (perhaps in lard or something like that). I discovered that when cooking cuts of horseradish inside a duck, some of them became soft enough to eat. Maybe even grilled could work. Horseradish is very fibrous, without the cooking and inedible, even excluding the strong flavour (which it loses during the cooking).

Wasabi, is not a root, so it wouldn't have an earthy flavour. It would also not have the creamy flavour of starches that a root like that would have.

[eb.]

this channel always informing us on things i love it

[Ter]

I LOVE wasabi! It can clear out your sinuses! If I order the wasabi stick from the link you suggested.... what is the proper way to store it? I have a foodsaver machine & bags. Would that work?

[WhiteThunderBBQ]

Wonder what kind of climate you can grow this in. Great episode!

[shapiroezra]

Great video - I'm suprised you don't have more views of this video! Well done.

[atomicagegamer]

Good video! I'd like to try fresh grated wasabi, someday. These comparisons are great but they aren't blind. I would be curious to see the differences that people taste, when they don't know which is which. I suspect that there is a difference but I wonder if it might be subconsciously amplified by the perception that you are eating something: rare/valuable/special, etc.

[OneOneThree-wlml]

How does this differ in taste from just pure wasabi powder?

[TheCartoonKitty]

Great video! I can't stand wasabi, fake or not, since I'm TERRIBLE with spicy things XD But that's cool! I didn't know that it's actually a plant!

[sega]

Had “wasabi” for the first time and it tasted as if someone sprayed my tongue with cleaning supplies

[pourattitude]

I'm older (58) and I'm sure I had the real stuff before since I remember when I noticed that the taste seemed to change virtually everywhere I ate sushi. This was back in the early to mid 90s.
What I would like to know is if I ordered some and made my own sushi at home, which is not optimal but I can only think that bringing my own wasabi to a sushi bar would be frowned on, what is the best way to store it and how long will it stay fresh?

[fluffycanterbury]

God! I'm amazed that the restaurant wasabi is not actually wasabi! Very informative, thank you!