12-07-2011, 01:50 PM
Wasabi is funny that way (my wife is Japanese, I went through a condiment phase, with special emphasis on hot things) we noticed that wasabi and chile both can be super hot and potent, but act on the senses in vastly different ways. Wasabi hits you right in the nose, but doesn't linger. And doesn't clear sinuses, but is a sharply hot sensation in the palette and nostrils, sharp but brief.
Chile is hot on the lips and tongue, and seems to clear the sinuses and lungs, and change blood flow. And both probably release morphine-like chemicals in the brain in response to the heat. But chiles have more of a beneficial effect for cold sufferers, or hay fever, or arthritis. What region is that in China that has insanely hot food? Szechuan. I'm told they have cold damp winters, and the spicy food is a tonic. The vitamin-C-rich hot chiles are said to ease cold achy joints and promote circulation, and are a known mood elevator. Or, borderline intoxicant!
In the part of Japan where Commander Perry Landed, on the Pacific side, is Japan's horseradish growing region. They have a tour and gift store, where everything is wasabi-crazy, keychains, Tshirts, fresh wasabi, wasabi flavored beer, everything.
And the most amazing wasabi I've ever tasted, with an incredible texture (most of what we get here is reconstituted from powder) the fresh stuff is closer to horseradish mushy texture, and really flavorful. We took several tubes home, along with some other tourist items. And best of all, the leaves of the plant can be eaten in salads, its taste is not unlike watercress. I was in wasabi heaven!
Chile is hot on the lips and tongue, and seems to clear the sinuses and lungs, and change blood flow. And both probably release morphine-like chemicals in the brain in response to the heat. But chiles have more of a beneficial effect for cold sufferers, or hay fever, or arthritis. What region is that in China that has insanely hot food? Szechuan. I'm told they have cold damp winters, and the spicy food is a tonic. The vitamin-C-rich hot chiles are said to ease cold achy joints and promote circulation, and are a known mood elevator. Or, borderline intoxicant!
In the part of Japan where Commander Perry Landed, on the Pacific side, is Japan's horseradish growing region. They have a tour and gift store, where everything is wasabi-crazy, keychains, Tshirts, fresh wasabi, wasabi flavored beer, everything.
And the most amazing wasabi I've ever tasted, with an incredible texture (most of what we get here is reconstituted from powder) the fresh stuff is closer to horseradish mushy texture, and really flavorful. We took several tubes home, along with some other tourist items. And best of all, the leaves of the plant can be eaten in salads, its taste is not unlike watercress. I was in wasabi heaven!