In comedy it's often mistaken for guacamole, with unsuspecting diners slathering their food with it only to be surprised by the burning sensation. But before writing it off as just a trick to play on your friends, you should consider some of the awesome health benefits such as killing cancer cells, reducing blood pressure, and killing harmful food borne bacteria such as e-coli.
Before 1908 wasabi was only mentioned in a botanical book but largely unknown to the west. It wasn't until Allied troops moved into Japan that they noticed it was used as a condiment, mainly for fish. When Japan served the westerners wasabi it was mainly made from European horseradish since the “foreigners” wouldn't know the difference.
Today, a product can be descrived as wasabi as long as it contains some amount of the authentic plant “Wasabia japonica.”
