It wasn't long ago that Japanese wasabi was a mysteriously exotic ingredient found in the rare restaurant located outside Japan, and only in large cities like New York, Los Angeles or Paris. In the last 20 years there has been an explosion of Japanese restaurants throughout the world, and specifically sushi-style restaurants. In the process, unusual ingredients like pickled ginger, soy sauce and wasabi have become accepted as normal condiments.

For most people outside of Japan, wasabi remains a mysterious green spice that appears on a plate of raw fish or hidden between the thin slice of fish and shari (vinegaredrice) of sushi. Rare it is to see the real wasabi root freshly grated in front of the customer.

The story of this simple yet exotic ingredient runs far back in time, and is complicated by the fact it is extremely difficult to grow.