Wasabi is the hot and stimulating green paste that lends a characteristic pungent taste to sushi dishes dressings and dipping sauces the wasabi plant sometimes called japanese horseradish has long been used in japan as an essential condiment for serving with raw fish sashimi and sushi dishes where it is valued for its protein digesting enzymes traditional and conventional wasabi clearspring wasabi powder contains real wasabi root whereas most wasabi products consist of mustard or horsera