Reykjavík Grapevine - 05.01.2018, Blaðsíða 44

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Wasabi Wizardry
Nordic wasabi is slaying imposter wasabi

Words: Shruthi Basappa Photo: Art Bicnick
Iceland is known for terrifyingly
beautiful nature, moody weath-
er, the northern lights and—from
now on—for growing fresh wasa-
bi. Ragnar Atli Tómasson and
Johan Sindri Hansen are local
wasabi wizards, growing wasabi
for the first time in Europe un-
der the company name of Jurt.
“We started in 2015, when we
were studying engineering at the
University of Iceland,” says Sin-
dri. “We wanted to make an export
product for Iceland, that would
really utilise the resources that
we have here—the clean environ-
ment, the water and the energy.”
Most expensive
vegetable
Notorious as the “world’s most
difficult plant to grow”—and
the most expensive vegetable, by
weight—wasabi grows in the river
beds of Japan. It’s sensitive, and
disease-prone, so I was curious
about why these novice farmers
chose this particular challenge.
“We heard about the ‘wasabi
scam,’” says Sindri. “95% of the
wasabi we get is made of horse-
radish, green food colouring
and mustard. It ’s really inau-
thentic. That was exciting, and
we thought, ‘Why not wasabi?’”
“Wasabi is hard to grow, but
it has the potential for export,
and smaller volumes for a higher
price,” adds Ragnar. “It’s hard to
get wasabi plants, but we managed
eventually. We get the plants from
Japan under special licenses, and
we’re working with the University
of Iceland cloning plants to devel-
op a local variant—a purely Ice-
landic, disease-free wasabi plant.’’
Jurt is growing wasabi using
hydroponics, in the spirit of the
Japanese water growing tradition
of sawa, an intensive and labori-
ous process. Ragnar and Sindri
currently have a 2,000-square-me-
tre, fully automated, climate
controlled farm in Egilsstaðir.
The wasabi plants takes 24-36
months to mature, and this year
is the company’s first harvest.
What is wasabi?
Contrary to popular belief, wasa-
bi is harvested for its stem, al-
though the entire plant, barring
the root, is edible. The fresh stem
is traditionally grated on a shark-
skin paddle, forming a pale cel-
adon-green paste. The volatile
flavonoids are fresh for up to 15
minutes—one reason why high-
end restaurants grate wasabi
table-side, as proof of authen-
ticity and for maximum flavour.
To experience the thrill and
decadence of authentic wasabi,
I dined at Grill Market and Fish
Market, currently the only restau-
rants serving Jurt’s wasabi. The
chef passed around the stem—no
bigger than my palm, like a knob-
bly radish. One whiff, and that sig-
nature pungency cleared my head,
jolting me awake. The grated
wasabi is wetter than horseradish,
and holds its shape well. The sweet
first note is followed by a boom of
instantaneous, short-lived spicy
hotness, then a lingering sweet-
ness. It’s delicate, more grassy and
herbal than the imposter version.
Shocked and furious
I urge hotheads and others alike
to try the steak at Grill Mar-
ket with Icelandic wasabi and
request soy dipping sauce. Or,
purists can find comfort in the
sashimi platter at Fish Market.
Remember to wash it all down
with the stellar Wasabi Mule.
I press for a parting shot, and
Ragnar smiles. “Everyone knows
the word ‘wasabi,’ so they know
what it is. People are genuine-
ly shocked, even furious, when
we tell them they’ve been eating
fake wasabi.” And Sindri adds,
“We’ve been notorious for ruin-
ing people’s sushi experience.”
Thanks to Jurt, fixing years of
wasabi-betrayal is easy now. Is
there anything Iceland cannot do?
R E S T A U R A N T
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Is your wasabi real wasabi?
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