{"id":47955,"date":"2026-10-09T13:53:10","date_gmt":"2026-10-09T13:53:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/47955\/"},"modified":"2026-10-09T13:53:10","modified_gmt":"2026-10-09T13:53:10","slug":"your-wasabi-is-probably-fake-oregon-growers-hope-to-change-that","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/47955\/","title":{"rendered":"Your wasabi is probably fake. Oregon growers hope to change that"},"content":{"rendered":"

At most sushi restaurants in the U.S., \u201cwasabi\u201d \u2014 that lump of pungent, nose-searing green paste \u2014 may pack a punch, but it\u2019s also probably fake. <\/p>\n

\u201cNot wasabi at all,\u201d according to grower Markus Mead. \u201cIt\u2019s horseradish with green food dye.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Wasabi<\/p>\n

Fresh wasabi at Zilla Sake in Northeast Portland.<\/p>\n

Jeff Kastner \/ OPB<\/p>\n

Real wasabi is common in Japan but has long been a luxury in the U.S. It has to be served soon after preparation and doesn\u2019t grow easily outside its native ecosystems. But a farm on the Oregon Coast may be changing that.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

OPB’s “Superabundant” newsletter is delivered to your inbox weekly with stories and recipes inspired by the Northwest foods you love.<\/p>\n

Mead and his wife, Jennifer Bloeser, own and operate Oregon Coast Wasabi in Tillamook, Oregon \u2014 the largest wasabi farm in the United States. They\u2019ve found the perfect environment to grow valuable, real wasabi.<\/p>\n

\u201cMost people don\u2019t know that wasabi is actually a plant. One of our goals in this business is to introduce more people to the wonders of fresh wasabi.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wasabi, when fully grown, stands 2-4 feet tall, and all parts of the plant are edible and spicy. Heart-shaped leaves grow out of a thick central stock, usually referred to as the \u201crhizome,\u201d and that\u2019s the part chefs grind into the familiar wasabi paste.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Markus Mead, co-owner of Oregon Coast Wasabi in Tillamook, holds a freshly harvested wasabi plant.<\/p>\n

Stephani Gordon \/ OPB<\/p>\n

Wasabi is native to Japan, where it\u2019s been cultivated since at least the seventh century. It was first used as a traditional medicine, and later as a preservative for raw fish because of its antimicrobial properties. Eventually its flavor became an indispensable part of sushi and sashimi.<\/p>\n

Wasabi only thrives in a cool, wet, shady environment, which makes the Oregon Coast the perfect spot. \u201cFifty-five degrees and cloudy is perfect wasabi weather, and that\u2019s what we have 75% of the time here,\u201d said Mead.<\/p>\n

With all the work required to grow it, very specific conditions, and only a handful of North American farms, fresh wasabi commands a premium price \u2014 around $130 per pound. Still, a growing number of chefs say using fresh wasabi is worth it.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Kate Koo, owner of Zilla Sake in Northeast Portland, grates fresh wasabi.<\/p>\n

Stephani Gordon \/ OPB<\/p>\n

Kate Koo owns Zilla Sake in Portland\u2019s Alberta Arts district \u2014 consistently rated one of Portland\u2019s top sushi spots, and she was recently featured as a judge on The Food Network\u2019s \u201cChopped.\u201d Back in 2009, she got her first taste of Oregon-grown wasabi and was immediately hooked. <\/p>\n

\u201cI was absolutely blown away by the quality. I was like, wait, this is from Oregon? This is fantastic!\u201d<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Freshly grated wasabi paste at Zilla Sake.<\/p>\n

Stephani Gordon \/ OPB<\/p>\n

Koo says using real wasabi adds a unique flavor and elevates her dishes like nothing else. \u201cWhat I\u2019ve seen recently in sushi is that more and more chefs are opting for fresh rhizome.\u201d<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t forget to subscribe to the Superabundant newsletter for weekly food news and seasonal recipes!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

At most sushi restaurants in the U.S., \u201cwasabi\u201d \u2014 that lump of pungent, nose-searing green paste \u2014 may pack a punch, but it\u2019s also probably fake. \u201cNot wasabi at all,\u201d according to grower Markus Mead. \u201cIt\u2019s horseradish with green food dye.\u201d Fresh wasabi at Zilla Sake in Northeast Portland. Jeff Kastner \/ OPB Real wasabi<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":47956,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[36898,4491,4489,4487,4490,4488,36897],"class_list":["post-47955","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-oregon","tag-food-and-beverage-oregon-coast","tag-oregon","tag-oregon-dining","tag-oregon-food","tag-oregon-grocery-stores","tag-oregon-restaurants","tag-superabundant-agriculture"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/vive.im\/@dc\/117411289821489128","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47955","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=47955"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47955\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/47956"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=47955"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=47955"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=47955"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}