Wasabi Warning

'Tora Tora Tora' Torpedos To My Tongue...

Just a bit of a heads-up for all you sushi fiends out there...

During this weekend's sushi feast, I discovered a major difference in the composition of the wasabi served with my tekkamaki.

Now, I like a nice spike of flavor with my tuna rolls, but not to the point it raises welts on my tongue. I normally smoosh a pea-sized wad of wasabi on the large sushi rolls, maybe half that on the small rolls. That's sufficient for a palate-cleansing scrub without Roto-Rootering my sinus passages.

Fresh-grated wasabi is always preferred, but us gaijin-types sometimes have to muddle through with pre-prepared wasabi paste.

The Tokyo Gardens brand wasabi has a nice kick, but the heat dissipates fairly quickly.

The Fujisan brand? They must make that from wasabi roots dug up from beside the glassy craters in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. That stuff is just crazy-hot, plus it contains oil of horseradish, which oozes down to the base of your tastebuds and strangles them in a fiery grip.

The difference is akin to the heat levels from a splash of Tabasco to a spoonful of habañero sauce.

You have been warned...