I really like real wasabi. The stuff made out of horseradish doesn't quite do it for me in the same way though it is good...
But we don't get much food out of China for some obvious reasons.. But the stuff we do get is surprising... Frozen tilapia and frozen crayfish almost all comes out of China... As does a LOT of frozen crab and shrimp...
Also some other stuff that would completely surprise you - freeze dried oranges, pears, pineapple, and banana comes out of China and it's good stuff...
Going the other way is also a surprise as well.... A significant portion of the USA's domestic grapefruit citrus production goes to China one way or another... They like grapefruit a whole lot more there than we do... So go figure...
A distant cousin:
Fennel & Lovage.jpg
My understanding is fennel is a closer relation to dill and carrots. Fennel and dill shouldn't be grown close to each other if the seeds are to be used for flavoring food or beverages.
For me it is handy when celery is wanted in a recipe. From spring to fall it is available in the garden. It can also be dried for use later. My favorite part is how it calms indigestion.
jtk
"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
- Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)
There are a number of plants that will cross flavors. I've been told that growing hot peppers by sweet peppers can make them hot, so I'm doing that and hoping it works.
Our herb beds are separated by a few feet and we're careful what we plant together or nearby.
Learned something new here I always thought soy sauce was Japanese.
Bill D
There are soy sauces from lots of places, and many different styles, including regional variations. If you go into an oriental market, there will be a huge selection and they are all different. I don't have a preference, other than ultra low sodium.
I did not know that soy sauce is over 2,000 years old! One of the oldest condiments other than salt itself and vinegar.
My hot chilli pepper sauce which not made in Chillie, and not even made by Red Hot Chillie Peppers, it's from Russia :j
That explains misspelling "chile."