Wasabi (Japanese horseradish) - Wasabi (English spelling) Wasabia japonica

Japanese: ワサビ(山葵) - ワサビ（英語表記）Wasabia japonica

A perennial plant of the Brassicaceae family. It is endemic to Japan and grows in valleys with clear streams. The rhizomes are swollen, green on the surface but white in the center, and have bumpy marks where leaves have fallen off. The leaves have long stalks, are round, heart-shaped at the base, and have fine sawtooth. The leaves are deep green and shiny with palmate veins. In spring, white flowers with four petals grow in clusters at the top of about 30 cm long stems. It grows in places that are protected from sunlight, warm in winter and cool in summer, and with constant water volume and temperature, so it is usually cultivated in wasabi fields on mountain slopes where running water is drawn, but there are also field wasabi that have been adapted to dry areas. The spiciness of wasabi is said to come from the enzymes that break down a type of glycoside when the cells are broken down, producing mustard oil. The rhizomes are grated and used as a condiment, and are also used in luxury foods such as wasabi pickles.

Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia About Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia Information

Japanese:

アブラナ科の多年草。日本特産種で，清流の渓谷に生える。根茎は肥大し，表面は緑色であるが中心部は白く，葉のとれた跡がでこぼこについている。葉には長い柄があり，円形で基部は心臓形，細かな鋸歯がある。葉面は深緑色で光沢があり掌状に脈が走る。春，約 30cmの茎頂に4弁の白色花を総状につける。日射を避け，冬暖かく夏涼しく，水量，水温の変らないところに育つので，普通山地の斜面に流水を引いたワサビ田で栽培するが，乾燥地に馴化した畑ワサビもある。ワサビの辛みは，細胞がこわれると一種の配糖体が酵素で分解し，からし油を生じるためとされる。根茎はすりおろして薬味にするほか，わさび漬など嗜好食品に利用される。

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