I don’t mean to say you’re wrong, but the “spice” due to wasabi is a different thing, not due to capsaicin at all. Same with mustard, it’s a similar thing. And then there’s yet another “spice” from the Sichuan peppercorn, again not due to capsaicin. It’s possible that COVID masks some of these but not others.

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spidercat 16 minutes ago | parent | next [-]

I am well aware! That's why my comment says "spiciness from both capsaicin and radishes". :)

I didn't feel like looking up how to spell allyl isothiocyanate when writing my initial comment. Maybe I should have! I've edited it for clarity, since it's an important distinction which adds to why I'm so danged curious about the mechanism behind my friend's temporary inability to perceive pungency. I also see how my original wording may have implied I was conflating the two, so I've expanded on my friend's experience a bit. He experimented with pepper and radish based spice sources in his pantry.

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kibwen an hour ago | parent | prev [-]

> the “spice” due to wasabi is a different thing

But also, outside of Japan, 95% of the time the stuff with your sushi isn't wasabi, it's green-colored horseradish-and-mustard paste.

	▲	spidercat 15 minutes ago \| parent \| next [-]
		But the source of the spiciness is the same, at least: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allyl_isothiocyanate
	▲	ctoa an hour ago \| parent \| prev \| next [-]
		That's also true inside Japan. True wasabi is really hard to grow commercially and thus very expensive.
	▲	alpn an hour ago \| parent \| prev [-]
		> 95% of the time the stuff with your sushi isn't wasabi so unexpected that i had to look it up; turns out you're right: https://chefcoca.com/blogs/food-service-equipment-resources/...