Many nutritionists will say to read, read, read the label in your food.
Reading the labels is not just for nutritionists but for all of us especially because
there are so many chemicals and things in foods that are surprising these days.
The 2 worst things I have ever seen in pre-packaged food have been....
shredded and soaked newspaper inside frozen dumplings.
YES! I said shredded PAPER! It should be cabbage.
The other thing I have experienced is small pieces of plastic inside frozen
chicken tenders. I never really liked frozen food to begin with--
but with so much mystery behind it... I simply prefer fresh over canned or frozen foods.
I talk about soy sauce and info about what's inside soy sauce often in my cooking classes
but in this post- I just wanted to share some sad news about wasabi.
I am often in the supermarket taking pictures of labels and it doesn't even phase me anymore
that people are staring and wondering what in the world am I taking a picture of.
Almost ALL wasabi/ wasabi sauces made in America are NOT wasabi.
It's powered horseradish with green food dye/coloring.
Real wasabi looks like this----
It grows in wet, swampy areas.... in Japan. The root part is where the wasabi paste
comes from- the part we use in eating sushi. The leafy part on top (that has been cut)
has that spicy kick to it as well, just not as much as the paste of the root.
It root part is grated to make a pasty like texture.
There is nothing wrong with horseradish but I do feel if it's advertised as wasabi--
it should have at least SOME wasabi in it. The main reason that horseradish is used
is simply because to import it in from Japan- it spoils very quickly.
Here are a few pictures from my wasbi search at the supermarket.
I probably read over a dozen types of wasabi, powder, paste, mixed, refrigerated, dry,
etc... and NOT one had any wasabi in it.... just horseradish powder and green food coloring.
Last little tip about wasabi in restaurants. Only true Japanese sushi restaurants use real
wasabi and the spicier it is... the fresher it is. Wasabi looses it's spicy, nasal clearing
component as hours and days go by. If you find yourself adding more and more
wasabi to your soy sauce for your sushi- it's simply because it's not real wasabi or
because it was grated/made fresh earlier in the week for the weekend..?...
Oh, and by the way... horseradish root looks like this.
I could go on on about random products but I'll just share the wasbi / horseradish today.
It's always an intersting reaction during the cooking classes when we let people
know what's inside certain foods that they never thought would be in it.
So, bottom line.... read the labels to see what your eating.!....
Zestfully, Let's Cultivate Food
In Home Cooking Class Philadelphia Birthday gift present activity cooking class
In Home Cooking Class Philadelphia Birthday gift present activity cooking class
