Spices and Herbs (Wasabi)

Wasabi (Wasabia japonica, Cochlearia wasabi, Eutrema japonica)
Known as "Japanese horseradish", its root is used as a spice and has an extremely strong flavor. The plant grows naturally along stream beds in mountain river valleys in Japan. Wasabi is generally sold either in root form, which must be very finely grated before use, or as a ready-to-use paste, usually in tubes resembling small toothpaste tubes. Once the paste is prepared it should remain covered until served to protect the flavor from evaporation. For this reason, sushi chefs usually put the wasabi between the fish and the rice.
Fresh leaves of wasabi can also be eaten and have some of the hot flavor of wasabi roots. They can be eaten as wasabi salad by pickling overnight with a salt and vinegar based dressing, or by quickly boiling them with a little soy sauce. Additionally, the leaves can be battered and deep-fried into chips. Wasabi is often served with sushi or sashimi, usually accompanied with soy sauce. The two are sometimes mixed to form a single dipping sauce known as Wasabi-joyu. Peas are often roasted or fried, then coated with a wasabi-like mixture and then eaten as an eye-watering snack.
Authentic wasabi is extremely expensive and very often wasabi paste is substituted with a mixture of horseradish, mustard and food coloring.
See Also ("Horseradish" under "Spices and Herbs (G - I)")

spice condiment wasabi

Spices and Herbs (Vanilla)

Vanilla
(Planifolia, Pompona And Tahitiensis)
Vanilla beans are from the above three orchid varieties. Of the many thousands of varieties of orchids these are the only three that bear edible fruit. It is a rather small plain yellow orchid that produces these long pods. Vanilla Planifolia has a more intense flavour than the other two varieties.
The pods look like green beans when ripe and after they are picked, they need to dry and then ferment to develop that rich flavor. It is a complicated process involving many months, that is why vanilla is so expensive. Vanilla beans are grown in tropical climates only. Vanilla originated in Mexico. Until the late 19th century, Mexico had the monopoly on growing vanilla, but now Madagascar and Indonesia grow the majority of the world's crop. Other countries that grow vanilla include Guatemala, Costa Rica, Uganda, China, India, Papua New Guinea, Tonga, Fiji, Tahiti, and the Philippines.
There are three main commercial preparations of natural vanilla:
a) whole pod
b) powder (ground pods, kept pure or blended with sugar, starch or other ingredients)
c) extract (in alcoholic solution)

Vanilla flavouring in food may be achieved by adding vanilla extract or by cooking vanilla pods in the liquid preparation. A stronger aroma may be attained if the pods are split in two, exposing more of the pod's surface area to the liquid. In this case, the pods' seeds are mixed into the preparation. Natural vanilla gives a brown or yellow colour to preparations, depending on the concentration.
A major use of vanilla is in the flavouring of ice cream, cakes and certain desserts. The most common flavour of ice cream is vanilla, and thus most people consider it to be the standard flavour.

cooking baking flavour flavor vanilla spice