"chiles & Powders"

Sweet and spicy sums up our amazing Aji Amarillo Chile Powder. This flavorful ingredient is made from the highest quality dried and ground Aji Amarillo Chiles. Aji Amarillo chilis are also referred to as Peruvian chiles or yellow chilis. The word “aji”  translates to chili or chili pepper. This special chile is a Peruvian favorite and when combined with garlic and red onion is considered part of the Peruvian holy trinity.

All chilis are flavorful, but bright orange Aji Amarillo Chilis have a unique taste. They are four to five inches long, have a dense consistency, and feature a delicious citrusy aroma. They have a thinner flesh compared to other chilis, and a feature medium-hot heat similar to cayenne and tabasco peppers. Their complex flavor profile that features a combination of floral, berry and fruity notes similar to raisins and they feature the perfect amount of heat that creates a pleasant after taste without leaving your mouth burning.

Aji Amarillo Chile Powder is most common In Peruvian cuisine, but is growing in popularity in the United States as more and more folks are enjoying Peruvian dishes. It is also commonly added to salsa recipes, rice, vegetables, pasta, glazes, dips, soups, and stews. Sprinkle it on meat, seafood, popcorn, nuts, and other snack foods to enhance the flavor. Aji Amarillo Chile Powder can also be added to breads, muffins, biscuits, cakes, cookies, and other baked goods. The sky is the limit for using Aji Amarillo Chile Powder. It even makes a delicious substitution for other spice blends and traditional chili powder, too..

Aleppo chile flakes have a sweet, sharp-tasting chile flavor with mild to moderate heat. These dark red pepper flakes have a slow heat build. Combinng cumin undertones and a tangy fruit flavor, this spice adds an authentic Mediterranean flavor to many recipes without overpowering burning notes. Mount Hope Wholesale’s Aleppo chile flakes contains only the savory dried chiles, no additives or other chiles added as filler. It sits at about 10,000 scoville heat units.

Aleppo pepper, also known as Halaby pepper has a slightly oily texture. This spice was named for the city of Aleppo in northern Syria where it was originally cultivated, but it now grows in the Mediterranean and middle east. It has a flavor profile that sits between an ancho chile and a sundried tomato.

Aleppo chile flakes are about half as hot as our typical crushed red pepper which makes this a good substitute if you want to maintain flavor but reduce the heat. It is a delicate versatile spice perfect for seasoning beans, salads, dips, meats, and sauces. For a Mediterranean flare add it to pasta dishes and spice up breakfast egg burritos. Sprinkle it on popcorn to give it some heat while watching a movie. It’s also great on vegetables and vegan favorites like tofu. Use it as a condiment after foods have been cooked or during the cooking process.

These flakes are finer than our regular chile flakes as well. They’re close to a stone ground consistency, but are definitely more ‘flaky’ than our chile powders, which are much more finely ground. Some may consider this item more of a ‘powder’ than a flake.

Christopher Columbus had few frames of reference upon sampling his first chile pepper in the New World. To describe the heat to folks back home, he likened it to that of the black peppercorn. Ever since then, Europeans, Americans and Canadians use the word “pepper” interchangeably with “chile” (the spelling preferred over “chili”), even though the two species are not remotely related.

The ancho started out as a poblano chile, named for its home state of Puebla, Mexico. Poblanos have relatively moderate levels of capsaicin, with the heat index rising to about 2,000 Scoville units as the pepper matures from green to red. By way of illustration, fiery habaneros typically run about 200,000 Scoville units. Only after drying does the mature poblano assume the name ancho, the Spanish word for “wide.” Anchos are only somewhat wide, with each pod measuring about 2-1/2″ wide by 4″ long.

Don’t confuse a moderate heat index with bland taste, because ancho chiles have a uniquely meaty, smoky flavor, with notes of raisins. It pairs beautifully with chocolate, cinnamon, cumin , corriander and fresh cilantro and is a key ingredient in mole sauce. The dried peppers can be ground into powder, chopped and added to salsa and other dishes, or reconstituted by soaking in water, after which they can be blended into a variety of stews, soups and sauces. A baked potato topped with ancho-flavored sour cream is a heavenly turn on an old standard.

The capsaicin in anchos is a well-known anti-inflammatory, helpful for respiratory congestion and arthritis. Other health benefits trace back to the ancho’s B vitamins, important for brain, neurological and cardiac function.

Ancho chile powder is the sweetest type of chile powder on the market. The flavor is compared to that of a slightly spicy raisin . It lends a mild smoky fruity flavor to food and is a staple in authentic Mexican dishes such as tamales or enchilada sauce. Our ancho powder can be used as the only ground chile in a dish where smoky sweet flavored is desired but fiery heat is not. This spice is considered just slightly hotter than a green bell pepper and rates between 1,000 to 2,000 heat units on the Scoville scale – a rating system that ranks the degree of hotness of chili peppers. For reference, jalapeno peppers rate between 2,500 and 5,000 heat units.

There are many more uses for our bulk ancho chile powder outside of Mexican cuisine. Use it instead of black pepper to add an extra layer of flavor to meats, chicken, stewed dishes or soups. It is also delicious sprinkled on vegetables, baked potatoes or as a unique topper for popcorn.

Ground ancho chile powder is made from poblano peppers (Capsicum annuum) which originate from Puebla, Mexico. Fresh poblanos are dark green when they are young and mature to a deep reddish black as they ripen. When the ripe chilies are dried whole, they become flat and wrinkled, resembling the shape of a heart. Grinding the dried fruit produces a deep reddish brown powder which can be used alone or combined with other types of chile powder for a spicier, more complex blend.

In addition to being packed with flavor, chile powder contains a surprising amount of nutrients. It is high in vitamins A and C and important minerals such as Iron, Manganese, Potassium and Copper. 

The infamous Carolina Reaper chile pepper is the hottest pepper known to man. It has claimed that title with a whopping peak heat of 2.2 million on the Scoville scale. For reference, a habanero , which most will agree is plenty hot already, clocks in at less than 10% of the Reaper, at “only” 200,000 units. It’s also 200 times hotter than the downright measley jalapeno pepper. The average heat is a little more manageable at 1.6 million on the scale.

This chile is bred for just that, record heat. However, unlike most purpose bred super hot peppers, the Carolina Reaper has a nice flavor. Many other peppers in this heat range come with a somewhat unpleasantly bitter flavor profile. Sometimes even with chemically hints. But the reaper has a mildly sweet flavor, and a wonderfully smokey and pungent aroma.

Originally bred in South Carolina, this chile has held the crown since 2013, with recent re-certification in 2018. You can find seeds for sale and cultivate your own fresh Carolina Reapers, or you can save the effort and buy our dried pods. We’re carying them by the 4oz bag, as this pepper clearly falls in the ‘a little dab will do you’ category.

This pepper gets a lot of attention for its intense heat, and rightly so. It’s heat can be a real problem though, so please handle it with care, and don’t get sucked in to any dares with this thing at the center of it. We encourage you to use this very sparingly if you’re experimenting with it. If you’ve used it before and know what you’re doing, go for it. Please be careful if not.

Chile threads add a mild flavor and a remarkable visual presentation as a garnish to many dishes, particularly southwestern, Korean and Mexican. Beyond the subtle flavor addition, these extremely thin, short strands add a vibrant hue of reddish-orange color that brighten any dish. Described as slightly sweet and salty, the chewy red strings natural smoky flavor is accentuated when quickly toasted with medium heat. Toasting chile threads also intensifies the flavor.

Indigenous to the Yidu region of China, the Yidu Red Chile Pepper is said to be the first used for chile threads. They can also be referred to as shil-gochu (literally meaning thread chile), chile strings, and/or red string spice.

However named, chile threads regularly garnish noodle soups, salads, and hors d’oeuvres. The also spruce up meat, fish and stir-fry presentations. They are used to bottle Chile vinegar, and more recently, have become a favorite among mixologists and bartenders to add flair to signature cocktails.

Chile peppers contain a chemical called capsaicin, which studies have shown helps fight inflammation, bad cholesterol and decrease heart damage. This is also the chemical compound that our mouths register as being ‘hot’. If you’re looking to spice up the appearance of your dish or drink, these threads are a great choice. But despite the presences of some capsaicin, they are only ever so mildly hot. They do offer smoky chile essense on the palate, but they aren’t going to provide a big chile flavor profile.

Chipotle Chile Pods—the dried, smoked fruits of the mature jalapeno—are famous for their full-bodied, smoky flavor, with notes of chocolate and tobacco. Classified as a medium hot chile, they pack in excess of 10,000 Scoville units, depending on how they are grown and prepared. The complexity of their flavor makes ordinary salsas, soups, stews, egg dishes and marinades extraordinary. Chipotle pieces even turn up in cakes and brownies. The rehydrated pods also serve as zesty holders for various rice, grain and meat stuffing. The pods require a light pan-toasting before use, whether they end up as ground spice or as rehydrated pieces of pepper.

The culinary odyssey begins mainly in Mexico, as a portion of the jalapeno crop (named for the Mexican town of Jalapa) sits in the sun until red. Growers harvest green jalapenos earlier in the season, for sale as fresh chiles. Once harvested, the mature red peppers undergo smoking. Two different types of chipotle pods will result. One will become the “meco,” a large jalapeno smoked for a long time. Our pods are “moritas,” a smaller chile smoked for a short time, to retain more of the original fruity flavor. When Spanish explorers landed in Mexico, the Aztecs—well versed in food preservation techniques—had been smoke-curing jalapenos for generations. With its thick flesh, the jalapeno would often rot before drying completely. Smoking solved that problem, while also enhancing the taste of the final product.

Like all dried chiles, the chipotle pod retains significant percentages of Vitamins A, B6 and C, as well as such essential minerals as copper and potassium. It is packed with disease-busting antioxidants, including capsaicin.

No vegetable is as closely associated with Mexican cuisine as the chipotle chile. Without chipotle – whether chopped, powdered or transformed into adobo sauce – tacos and burritos would be blah. Nevertheless, chipotle is finding its way into fusion dishes. Consider substituting chipotle powder for Chinese chili paste in stir fries. Because the smoky heat blends well with sweet foodstuffs, chipotle powder, paired with cinnamon, jazzes up mashed sweet potatoes and lends added interest to honey glazes for ham. Chipotle dishes also pair nicely with sweet wines like Riesling and Gewürztraminer.

Mesoamerican cultures have been spicing up their food with chilies for millennia. The Aztecs came up with the idea of smoking jalapenos to solve a storage problem, because the thick skin didn’t sun-dry as well as thinner-skinned peppers. Our chipotle powder begins with the morita jalapeno, picked at maximum ripeness. After smoking, the reddish purple morita turns a rich brick-red. Smoking, by the way, takes nothing away from the pepper’s fire. The chipotle scores between 3k and 10k on the Scovile scale.

The ground, smoked morita doesn’t merely add life to your cuisine. It may also add zest to your life. Chipotle is rich in such vitamins as A (essential for healthy vision) and C (an important antioxidant that combats the free radicals that trigger so many diseases). It’s also loaded with magnesium and calcium, minerals vital for bone health. The capsaicin that causes chipotle’s heat is a well-known aid in treating respiratory congestion, by promoting mucus flow, flushing out clogged and infected sinuses. Ironically, the incendiary chipotle also has anti-inflammatory properties, helpful for arthritis.

Mount Hope also offers chipotle pods and flakes if your application demands more of a visual presense from your chile.

The Guajillo is the most popular chile we sell. It offers a complex flavor profile, with only mild to medium heat intensity. This makes it a great choice for adding rich flavor to your dishes with overwhelming the palate with fiery heat. Guajillo chile pods offer both sweet and smokey notes. Often people will detect cranberry flavors in particular.

The whole pods range in length from 3 to 5 inches and are about an inch wide. The have have a beautiful deep burgundy color and a smooth satiny sheen on the skin. If you plan to use it for a dry rub, we also offer guajillo powder to save some effort in processing the whole dry pod.

This dried pepper is the second most commonly used in its native Mexico, ceding the popularity contest crown to the ancho, also called the poblano. That’s a wider, darker, and more wrinkled chile. The guajillo looks more appealing on the plate whole as a garnish.

Just like ancho is the name used for the dried poblano, guajillo chile pods in their fresh form on the plant are referred to as mirsol peppers. They grow upward, ‘facing the sun’ (which is what mirasol means), instead of dangling down as is the habit of most chile peppers. Specifically, the plant they come from is Capsicum annuum, l., and is harvested mostly in Mexico and Peru.

There’s simply no comparing guajillo chile powder with the standard, soulless chile powder available on supermarket shelves. The guajillo version has abundant soul. In addition to a respectable, but not overwhelming heat (between 2,500 and 5,000 Scoville units), it combines a fruity sweetness with smokiness and some piney undertones. That layering of flavors makes guajillo powder the perfect spice for Mexico’s famous mole sauces, where it balances the bitterness of the dark chocolate. The powder works well as a time-saving substitute for chopped guajillos in many recipes, from enchiladas to salsas and marinades. Guajillo powder also serves well as the central ingredient in meat rubs. Not surprisingly, the guajillo is the most popular dried chile grown and enjoyed in Mexico. It also has a growing fan base north of the Rio Grande and often turns up much farther from home—for example, in the zesty harissa sauce of North Africa.

Guajillo powder gets its start with mirasol chiles, grown in northern and central regions of Mexico. The mirasol gets its name (“facing the sun”) from the pepper’s inclination to grow tail-up in the direction of the sky. Once dried, the mirasol undergoes a name change, becoming the guajillo, meaning “little gourd,” in recognition of the gourd-like rattle produced by the dried seeds inside. The Aztecs were enjoying the gustatory and health benefits of guajillos long before Hernan Cortez charged into Mexico in the 16th century.

Modern medicine acknowledges the nutritional value of this chile pepper, with significant levels of Vitamins B and C, iron and manganese. The high fiber content helps promote gastrointestinal health, while its carotenoids help fight the inflammation at the root of many diseases.

Habanero Chiles are one of the hottest chiles in the world. Behind the heat is a fruity flavor that makes these chiles a wonderful way to spark up a dish. It is round, oblong chile about 3/4inch wide. On the heat scale the Habanero is a 10. Use rubber gloves when handling the Habanero Pepper. Scoville heat units 100,000 to 200,000.Habanero’s are known for their fruity and spicy flavor. They are originally from the Caribbean and are now widely grown in Mexico and Central and South America.

Habanero Chile Pods are typically used in spicy dishes such as salsas, hot sauces, and marinades. They can also be used to add spiciness to soups, stews, and chili. Habanero Chile Pods are often paired with citrus, garlic, and herbs to balance out their heat and add flavor complexity.

Habanero can be used in various forms such as whole, chopped, or pureed. Before using them, it is important to remove the stem and seeds which contain most of the heat. When using them in hot sauces or marinades, it is recommended to blend them with other ingredients to balance their flavor and spiciness.

Habanero’s are a flavorful chile pod that can be used in a variety of culinary applications. It’s a great addition to any kitchen.

Habanero Chile powder comes from the hottest of hot Chiles: Habanero Chile Pods. This powder is made by grinding whole Habanero chiles including the seeds and is 100% pure chile.  Behind the heat is a sweet, fruity, and citrusy flavor with smokey notes that makes these chiles a wonderful way to spark up a dish. Habanero chiles hit the heat scale at a 10 with a median Scoville heat unit of 225,000, however, so use this powder sparingly so as not to overpower them with heat.

Wear gloves when handling this chile powder to prevent the chile burn sensation. The heat created in a chile pepper comes from capsaicin which repels water making it hard to wash off, or wash away. If you do burn your skin or your throat reach for cold milk instead. You can also try lemon or lime juice which might not be so thrilling to drink.

The name of this chile comes from the phrase ‘la Habana’ which means ‘from Havana.’ It is a deep brown, round, and oblong chile about 2 inches long and 1 inch across closely related to the Scotch bonnet pepper. It is thought that this chile originated in Cuba around 6500 B.C. Or it possibly hailed from South America, in the Amazonas between Peru and Brazil. Today it’s mostly grown on the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico and is well-loved in the United States and around the world.

Habanero Chile powder is a popular chile for use in a spicy seasoning rub or jerk seasoning . It is amazing in hot sauce because it’s spicy and sweet.

Jalapeno Chili Powder has a spicey and fruity essence, like a bell pepper with heat. The powder is made from grinding dried whole jalapenos, both seeds and pod. The seeds are the spiciest part of the fruit. Jalapenos are naturally gluten-free and are the only ingredient in this powder giving it a one hundred percent pure authentic flavor.

Jalapeno peppers are the most widely used and popular mild spiced peppers in the United States. They are a green oblong pepper about two inches long. Jalapenos are mostly produced in Mexico and are named after the capital city of Veracruz, Jalapa. In Mexico, they are also called chiles gordos and huachinangos. Today, they are also cultivated throughout the Southwestern United States and largely grown in Texas.

This worldwide popular pepper has a spicy kick without burning your palate. On the Scoville Heat Scale, they hit between 2,500 to 8,000 Scoville heat units or about half a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being the hottest. Jalapeno contains capsaicin, the chemical compound that makes peppers spicy. A bell pepper doesn’t contain any capsaicin, for reference, and therefore doesn’t contain any spice.

Capsaicin does a little bit more than add spice to a pepper. It also helps burn fat and control appetite making it a good addition to a healthy diet.

Use Jalapeno Chili Powder in sauces, spice mixes, meat rubs, chilis, guacamole, and salsa dips. It’s perfect for Tex-Mex cuisine and authentic Mexican dishes. Jalapeno Chili Powder gives food that jalapeno flavor and spicy kick without biting into pepper pieces which turns some people away from the spicy pepper flavor. Replace regular red chili powder with Jalapeno chili powder in any recipe you want to spice up a bit more.

Cayenne pepper with a heat rating of 40,000 Scoville units, is a moderate hot pepper that produces a strong biting flavor. This long, skinny red pepper tapers off at the end and comes in many varieties. Cayenne pepper powder has a robust kick that works well to spice up and add unique zing to a wide variety of dishes.

The Scoville test, developed in 1912 by Wilbur L. Scoville, requires a panel of tasters to determines the heat level in chili peppers. Most cayenne pepper range between 30,000 and 50,000 on this scale. The spiciness comes from the natural capsaicin that occurs in the pepper. A habanero chili pepper, for example, has a heat rating of 300,000 Scoville but a sweet pepper has a Scoville rating of zero.

The cayenne pepper shares its name from a town on the North-East coast in South America where the pepper was first discovered. Although there is some contention over whether the town is named after the pepper, or if the pepper is named after the town. First dried, then ground, Cayenne pepper powder is often a mix of subtle variations of the same plant.

Consuming cayenne has many health benefits. This pepper boosts immunity, suppresses appetite, burns fat, aids metabolism, and improves cardiovascular health. The spiciness is great for getting rid of congestion, too.

Dried cayenne pepper powder is a perfect addition to many recipes. Use it in roasted vegetables with lemon juice. Mix into a burger seasoning. Add it to pasta dishes and sauces. It also gives a kick to hot cocoa and desserts like chocolate truffles.

Mount hope has one and five pound bags of 40k heat unit Cayenne for convenient stocking of kitchens both large and small. For an even bigger bite, try our unusually hot organic 90k Cayenne. Used sparingly, these spices are perfect for adding heat and flavor to all sorts of dishes.

Cayenne pepper (80,000- 90,000 heat units), also known as red pepper, is a type of chili pepper that originated in South America and is now widely cultivated throughout the world. Cayenne is known for its pungent, spicy taste and bright red color, which can bring the heat and add a pop of color to various dishes.

Cayenne pepper has a wide range of culinary uses and is often added to many different types of cuisine which makes it an all around fantastic ingredient in the kitchen. Cayenne pepper is often added to savory dishes such as stews, chilies, and soups to provide a kick of heat and depth of flavor. Its subtle sweetness can also enhance the flavors of roasted meats, vegetables, and tomato-based sauces. Chefs use this hot cayenne pepper to add extra heat to sweet dishes like chocolate, which creates an interesting blend of flavors that can be both spicy and sweet.

Cayenne pepper is high in important vitamins, such as vitamin A and C, and has natural anti-inflammatory properties that can help boost the immune system.

Flavorful and packing a little heat, New Mexico Red Chile Pods are the dried form of the Red Anaheim Pepper. They register on the Scoville heat scale between 1,500 to 2,500 units but are relatively mild compared to their hotter counterparts, the New Mexico HOT Red Chile Pods. While not hot enough for the thrill-seeking “chileheads” who like extremely spicy chiles, they are just the right amount of heat for those who don’t want to sweat while eating.

New Mexico Chiles are dark brownish or maroon. The skin on this chile is thin. They are elongated and tapered measuring between 5 and 7 inches high and 1-1/2 inches wide with an earthy flavor and wild cherries undertones.

What makes chiles hot anyway? That would be capsaicin. This compound secretes the strong spice through glands from the pith or the white core inside the chili that seeds grow from. You have to remove the pith if you want to remove the spice. The sweet underlying cherry flavor comes from the body of the chile and the spice, the inside.

Chile sauce is the first thing that comes to come when thinking of New Mexico Red Chile Pods. They provide a kick without overpowering the chile’s flavor. Change it up and make a Hazelnut Mint Romesco by blending filbert, mint, garlic, oil, lemon, and sherry with New Mexico Red Chile Pods and sweet red peppers. These mildly spicy pods are palatable in enchilada sauces and meat and bean chilies. They also make a great homemade chili powder when ground whole. Add it to other spices for a secret blend.

Mexico’s hatch valley, known as the chile capital of the world, produces the finest green chile’s used in our New Mexico Green Chile Powder. It takes 18 pounds of fresh green chiles to make one pound of this dehydrated chile powder. This is a tasty, mild chile powder made only with Ground Green New Mexico Chiles and packed with a pungent but semi-sweet flavor.

The green chiles, a.k.a capsicum annuum, are picked before they ripen to red. They are harvested after a quick growing season and before they begin to ripen, by the end of summer. After dehydrating the chiles they are de-stemmed and ground into a fine powder.

Grinding the chiles into a powder adds an earthy flavor. Green chiles taste fresh and crisp compared to red chiles which have more smokey sweetness. This chile is between a 2-4 on the Scoville heat scale. Scoville measures the heat of chiles on a scale of 1-10. That makes this chile powder a little milder than Jalapeno Chile Powder, but hotter than Ancho Chile Powder which is only slightly sweeter than a bell pepper. Either powder works as a substitute if you run out of Green New Mexico chile powder, but make sure you keep enough stored in bulk so that doesn’t happen.

It is difficult to find fresh green chiles to use in your recipes. Being so hard to come by makes this powder a necessity in your kitchen for year-round cooking.  Green chiles are a compliment in Southwestern and Mexican dishes. Combine with other chile powders to enhance each flavor, add them to dry rub seasoning and blends, or use on its own. It’s highlighted in Chile Verde, stews, and enchiladas.

New Mexico chile powder is a specific type of red chile powder that’s made from dried New Mexico chile peppers. This is a pepper developed by noted horticulturist, Fabian Garcia. Like most peppers, the New Mexico pepper starts green and becomes red as it ripens. The fruity flavor of this pepper is at the heart of the cuisine of the American Southwest.

Our New Mexico chile powder provides a mild to medium heat. Use it in combination with smoky spices such as our bulk ancho chile powder or alone when the recipe calls for a fresh, not-too-hot layer of spice.

Naturally, Mexican-inspired cuisine is the first thought when it comes to chile powder, and it’s a must in salsa, guacamole, enchilada sauce, taco meat and spicy grilled fish. But there are also many ways to incorporate New Mexico chile powder into every day cooking. Use it instead of black pepper to add a new flavor to soups, stews and meat dishes. Mix it into your homemade rubs, barbecue sauces and salad dressings for a special zip. You can also use red chile powder as a table spice, sprinkling it on popcorn, rice, vegetables, baked potatoes and even popcorn.

The fruity notes in our wholesale New Mexico chile powder complements sweet foods too, especially chocolate desserts. A dash of chile powder in your favorite cake or cookie recipe will make the other flavors seem brighter and more delicious. Don’t be afraid to experiment with New Mexico chile powder. It brings a lot of flavor without a lot of heat. We also have an even milder green New Mexico chile powder made from less mature pods.

Famous for its pungent heat – which can trigger tears and unclog sinuses – wasabi is not just for sushi. In powdered form, just a touch can make boring old mashed potatoes or mayonnaise memorable. It can lend pizzazz to snacks like roasted chickpeas and macadamias. Substituting wasabi for chiles can transform Latin American standards into fusion dishes. Use the powder as is, in the same way you would add cayenne. Or turn it into a paste, by adding water and stirring thoroughly. Chefs disagree about the proportion of powder to water, with some recipes recommending 3 parts powder to 1 part water and others calling for a 5/3 ratio. It’s a matter of personal preference, regarding both the degree of heat and the paste’s consistency.

Wasabi powder also stands in for grated horseradish in recipes. That’s not surprising, because the overwhelming majority of wasabi products sold in the West – including ours – have horseradish (Armoracia rustanica) as the primary ingredient. Horseradish and Japanese wasabi are members of the Brassica family. Their roots have the same five-alarm taste. The big difference between the two is their degree of hardiness. Tolerant of wide temperature and humidity swings, horseradish plants thrive in both sun and partial shade, while Wasabia japonica blanches under the sun, tolerates only a narrow temperature range and requires the moisture found in non-tropical rainforests. As a result, cultivation areas are extremely limited, and Wasabia japonica’s price is astronomical.

The two botanical cousins share health benefits, as well as taste. Both can relieve respiratory congestion and are major sources of the fiber needed for a healthy gut. Both have antimicrobial, antifungal and antioxidant properties. Recent medical research suggests both can inhibit cancerous tumors.