The pricy nature of wasabi
Wasabi is made of the grated root of the wasabi plant. Though being in the same family as cabbage, horseradish, and mustard, wasabi plants require particular growing conditions, including even water flow and little temperature variation all year-round. Because wasabi only grows in spring water, wasabi farms are concentrated in mountainous areas. These farms are essentially small-scale and cannot supply enough wasabi to consumers. On the other hand, because most pesticides and fertilizers are prohibited in spring water, there is nothing that can be done about insects that inhabit the water and can destroy the entire wasabi harvest. As a result, limited wasabi supply drives up its price. But if real wasabi is expensive, why do we have easy access to it at local Japanese restaurants in the U.S.?
The truth is that most restaurants outside Japan serve wasabi paste made of horseradish, mustard, and food coloring with minimal or no wasabi. Horseradish has been widely used as a substitute for wasabi due to its worldwide availability, tho it has a stronger, fierier taste than real wasabi's.
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