Fresh Wasabi on Business Insider

Why Real Wasabi Is So Expensive

Business Insider's So Expensive series takes a look at what makes fresh wasabi so good, and why it comes at a price.

The green paste you've been eating with your sushi isn't really wasabi. If you check the ingredients on the packet, you might see a mixture of sweetener, horseradish and perhaps a small percentage of the real thing. Real wasabi is hard to come across and it can cost $250 per kilo. So what actually is wasabi, and why is it so expensive?