HAVE YOU EVER EATEN REAL WASABI?

Day 141 of the Lower Puna Eruption, and after the longest closure ever, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park will re-open tomorrow.  Better yet, admission will be free because the country will celebrate National Public Lands Day.

It has been blocked off since May 11, and is the most popular tourist attraction for the island, and #4 in the State to Waikiki/Diamond Head, Pearl Harbor and Hanauma Bay.  Five years ago the park closed for 17 days because our federal government shut down.

At one time you could walk right up to the edge and see the largest lake on Planet Earth.  This Kilauea Volcano crater called Halemaumau remains closed, as the adjacent Jagger Museum, for damages were substantial.

Officially, the eruption has only paused.  Click on Hawaii Tribune Herald to read archival reports.

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The odds are quite high that you haven't ever consumed wasabi.  The spicy hot green stuff you see on sushi or mixed with soy sauce for sashimi, only very rarely contains any Wasabia Japonica, which is a root.

You also probably haven't tasted the leaves from this plant, which are used in salads or fried into chips.  Why don't people buy or restaurants offer the real product?  Mostly cost, and also convenience.

I don't know of anyone, even in Japan, who goes to a market, purchases that root and grates it.  We all use a mixture of horseradish, mustard, cornstarch and food coloring.  I buy the giant size tube because I consume so much of it.

The authentic version is grated.  It takes a lot of work to prepare the paste and can set you back $70-$150/pound.  It is characterized as being one of the most expensive vegetables.  High end restaurants in Japan use real wasabi.

So, then, why don't you just grow a couple of plants in your apartment or yard?  In Japan, it takes a mountainous region with the right type of gravel stream and clean flowing water.  Disease is a serious problem.  In the USA (Oregon, Washington, Michigan) and Canada (Vancouver), the crop is grown in greenhouses.  From Pacific Coast Wasabi of Vancouver, which sells to Japan:

Scientific research has shown that Wasabi produces a suite of biomedically active molecules called isothiocyanates (ITCs) which are powerful nutraceuticals. These compounds, particularly the long chain methyl isothiocyanate, 6MITC, are most abundant in authentic Wasabi. It is these ITCs that are responsible for the flavour and heat of real Wasabi as well as the unique health benefits including: anti-allergies, anti-oxidant, anti-cancer, antibiotic (ulcers), anti-inflammatory, immune boost and anti-coagulant. In addition, other natural compounds from Wasabi are effective in bone calcification and collagen synthesis.

Also:

As a member of the cruciferous family, wasabi contains the same cancer-fighting isothiocynates as its cabbage cousins. The American National Cancer Institute and the American Cancer Society have studied cruciferous vegetables extensively for years. They recommend that everyone eat several servings from this vegetable family each week to dramatically lower risk of all types of cancer. Researchers believe that one way the substances in cruciferous vegetables help prevent cancer is by helping the body eliminate excess hormones such as estrogen, thus reducing the risk of hormone-related cancers such as breast and prostate cancer.

Wow, I did not realize wasabi was that good for my health.  Maybe I should spend all that money and do all that work for those benefits.  But do I want to do this?

How To Grate Wasabi.

• Rinse the rhizome under cold running water. 
• Scrape off any bumps or rough areas along the sides. 
• Scrub the rhizome with a stiff brush. 
• Cut the rhizome just below the leaf base and inspect the exposed flesh to ensure that it is a uniform green colour. 
• Grate the cut end against the grater surface, using a circular motion. 
• After use, rinse the rhizome under cold running water. If you are using a sharkskin grater, rinse it under cold running water as well and let it air dry.

Sharkskin?  Where do I get that?  Actually, Amazon sells one for $28.

From Mishima, Japan comes a wasabi grater designed by Yutaka Yamamoto.  The protruding characters are hiragana for wa, sa and bi.

You can purchase this device for $37.50.  Can't find it on the internet, but the next time I go to Japan, maybe I'll train to Mishima in Shizuoka Prefecture and get one:

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Former Super Typhoon Mongkhut, once at 180 MPH, made landfall over the Northern Philippines this past Saturday at 165 MPH, then made a direct hit over Hong Kong at 109 MPH.  The death toll is uncertain, but could reach 100.

Hurricane Florence got up to 140 MPH and made landfall as a Category 1 over North Carolina, but moved only very slowly, causing major flooding with rains up to 34 inches and rivers cresting up to 35 feet above flood stage.  Forty people were killed.

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