You think that stuff you put on your sushi is actually wasabi? Well you’re 100% wrong. In fact you probably never have had the real stuff, and probably never will. Prepare to have your wasabi blown sky high.

Did you know that the wasabi you’ve been eating is just colored horseradish? Unless you’re paying the big bucks, that’s what you’re eating. Wasabi is actually damn hard to cultivate and there is no easy way of mass producing it. In fact Japan can’t even grown enough for itself and has to import large amounts of it from New Zealand and China. Just something to think of next time you’re eating ‘authentic’ sushi.

If you’re interested in knowing the ins and outs of wasabi life, you should check out this amazing history of wasabi from Shizuoka Gourmet.