1 00:00:01,920 --> 00:00:04,320 Speaker 1: Welcome to brain Stuff, a production of I Heart Radio, 2 00:00:06,360 --> 00:00:10,200 Speaker 1: Hey brain Stuff, Lauren Boga bam here. If the wassabi 3 00:00:10,280 --> 00:00:12,479 Speaker 1: that the waiter brings out to a company your sushi 4 00:00:12,520 --> 00:00:15,880 Speaker 1: could talk, it would have some explaining to do. It's 5 00:00:16,040 --> 00:00:19,439 Speaker 1: highly unlikely that that pungent green paste is the real thing. 6 00:00:19,520 --> 00:00:22,919 Speaker 1: It's probably not even close. The wissabi served in American 7 00:00:22,960 --> 00:00:26,439 Speaker 1: restaurants is actually a mixture of mustard, horseradish, and green 8 00:00:26,520 --> 00:00:31,040 Speaker 1: food coloring. That's because real sabi is very expensive, sometimes 9 00:00:31,040 --> 00:00:33,240 Speaker 1: more than a hundred dollars a pound outside of Japan. 10 00:00:33,840 --> 00:00:36,639 Speaker 1: Though even in Japan it's rare for restaurants to use 11 00:00:36,680 --> 00:00:40,320 Speaker 1: it because it's not cheap and it must be freshly graded. 12 00:00:41,680 --> 00:00:43,479 Speaker 1: The part of the wisabi plant that's used as a 13 00:00:43,479 --> 00:00:46,360 Speaker 1: condiment is the rhizome. It's a root like stem that 14 00:00:46,400 --> 00:00:50,000 Speaker 1: grows underground, like ginger or potatoes. The whole plant is 15 00:00:50,040 --> 00:00:53,040 Speaker 1: actually edible, but the rhizome is especially prized for its 16 00:00:53,080 --> 00:00:55,800 Speaker 1: sharp flavors. If you're lucky enough to go to a 17 00:00:55,840 --> 00:00:58,400 Speaker 1: restaurant serving the real thing, they may even bring the 18 00:00:58,480 --> 00:01:01,040 Speaker 1: rhizome to the table along with greater so that they 19 00:01:01,040 --> 00:01:04,000 Speaker 1: can grade it as freshly as possible for you. That's 20 00:01:04,120 --> 00:01:07,479 Speaker 1: because wassabi starts to lose its kick around fifteen minutes 21 00:01:07,520 --> 00:01:10,920 Speaker 1: after being graded or cut. Because that amazing kick comes 22 00:01:10,959 --> 00:01:13,520 Speaker 1: from one of the plant's defense mechanisms, and it's not 23 00:01:13,600 --> 00:01:18,240 Speaker 1: a permanent feature of the rhizome. You see, Wasabi doesn't 24 00:01:18,280 --> 00:01:21,120 Speaker 1: have much scent until it's cut or grated. But when 25 00:01:21,120 --> 00:01:23,480 Speaker 1: its cell walls are broken, say by the teeth of 26 00:01:23,480 --> 00:01:27,240 Speaker 1: a hungry herbivore or a chef's knife, compounds from inside 27 00:01:27,240 --> 00:01:30,720 Speaker 1: and outside those cells mix and undergo a chemical chain 28 00:01:30,760 --> 00:01:34,840 Speaker 1: reaction that creates pot tasting compounds during one phase of 29 00:01:34,880 --> 00:01:38,480 Speaker 1: the chain. This is an evolutionary trait meant to deter 30 00:01:38,680 --> 00:01:42,039 Speaker 1: animals from eating the plant, But suckers, we humans have 31 00:01:42,080 --> 00:01:46,319 Speaker 1: decided that we dig that flavor. While imitation with sabi 32 00:01:46,480 --> 00:01:49,080 Speaker 1: is very hot with a mustard pepper sort of flavor, 33 00:01:49,360 --> 00:01:52,000 Speaker 1: the real stuff doesn't have the same harshness or burn 34 00:01:52,360 --> 00:01:55,200 Speaker 1: and tastes more vegetile, earthy, and smooth with just a 35 00:01:55,280 --> 00:01:59,240 Speaker 1: hint of sweetness. Was Sabi is so expensive because it's 36 00:01:59,240 --> 00:02:01,520 Speaker 1: hard to cul to eight. It's known as the hardest 37 00:02:01,560 --> 00:02:04,440 Speaker 1: plant to grow commercially in the world. The best was 38 00:02:04,520 --> 00:02:07,560 Speaker 1: zabi called Sabo sabi is grown in flooded beds of 39 00:02:07,560 --> 00:02:11,480 Speaker 1: gravel or preferably in cool mountain streams. The roots sink 40 00:02:11,600 --> 00:02:14,720 Speaker 1: down into the soil below, the rhizomes grow in the gravel, 41 00:02:14,960 --> 00:02:18,200 Speaker 1: and the leaf stems poke up above the water. Lower 42 00:02:18,280 --> 00:02:21,520 Speaker 1: quality plants are grown in fields in soil called oka 43 00:02:21,600 --> 00:02:25,320 Speaker 1: wasabi for processing into dried powder for snack crackers and 44 00:02:25,360 --> 00:02:29,040 Speaker 1: the like. But either way, was sabi's leaves and stems 45 00:02:29,080 --> 00:02:32,120 Speaker 1: are brittle. It wants temperatures to stay between fifty and 46 00:02:32,160 --> 00:02:35,520 Speaker 1: seventy degrees fahrenheit that's about eight to twenty celsius, and 47 00:02:35,960 --> 00:02:39,360 Speaker 1: like me, it won't tolerate direct sunlight. It doesn't do 48 00:02:39,440 --> 00:02:42,320 Speaker 1: well in greenhouses, so it can really only be grown 49 00:02:42,360 --> 00:02:47,200 Speaker 1: in appropriate natural environments. So when restaurants are trying to 50 00:02:47,280 --> 00:02:50,920 Speaker 1: keep costs down, they substitute the aforementioned horse radish mixture 51 00:02:51,000 --> 00:02:54,320 Speaker 1: for real was sabi. The reason this works is because 52 00:02:54,320 --> 00:02:57,040 Speaker 1: both ingredients get their pungency from the same family of 53 00:02:57,080 --> 00:03:02,680 Speaker 1: herbivore deterrent compounds called isothiot Science nates and scientists are 54 00:03:02,680 --> 00:03:06,359 Speaker 1: looking into a sabi's medicinal properties. It appears to relieve 55 00:03:06,400 --> 00:03:10,239 Speaker 1: allergy symptoms, fight cancer, and inhibit bacterial growth, though more 56 00:03:10,280 --> 00:03:13,960 Speaker 1: research is needed. The antimicrobial attribute might be why it 57 00:03:14,000 --> 00:03:17,960 Speaker 1: traditionally accompanies sushi. It's a way of counteracting any possible 58 00:03:18,000 --> 00:03:25,840 Speaker 1: ill effects of eating raw fish. Today's episode was written 59 00:03:25,840 --> 00:03:28,440 Speaker 1: by Katherine Whitburn and produced by Tyler Clang. The brain 60 00:03:28,480 --> 00:03:30,600 Speaker 1: Stuff is production of I Heart Radios How Stuff Works. 61 00:03:30,960 --> 00:03:33,720 Speaker 1: To learn more about the history, science, and culture of sabi, 62 00:03:33,960 --> 00:03:36,800 Speaker 1: check out my other podcast, Saber. We did an episode 63 00:03:36,800 --> 00:03:40,000 Speaker 1: on it in December, and of course, for more on 64 00:03:40,000 --> 00:03:41,960 Speaker 1: this and lots of other hot topics, visit our home 65 00:03:42,000 --> 00:03:44,880 Speaker 1: planet has Stuff works dot com plus for more podcasts 66 00:03:44,880 --> 00:03:46,760 Speaker 1: from my Heart Radio with the I Heart Radio app, 67 00:03:46,880 --> 00:03:49,560 Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.