You know that sensation you get when you take a bite of a beautiful piece of sushi? Yeah, that burning feeling, associated with a taste similar to horseradish? Well, that's because it is horseradish - Japanese horseradish to be more precise. Or horseradish "twin". Most American sushi restaurants serve the twin variety. In fact, real Japanese wasabi is nearly impossible to find outside of Japan. There it costs a hefty $70 to $100 per pound because of it's relative scarcity. Western wasabi only has a hit of about a buck per pound, so it's widely used as a substitute for the pricey kind. Just add a little mustard and green food coloring, and you have a close (but not at all exact) copy. So now you know a little of wasabi's interesting history.
