200 years ago, sanitary conditions were very poor in Japan. Clean water was scarce and refrigeration did not exist which posed a problem as fish is a staple of the Japanese diet. The Japanese used wasabi to stave off germs and food poisoning. Wasabi kills Escherichia coli and many other bacterium instantly. Eating raw fish referred to as “maguro” which means “tuna” in English was possible without modern soap and refrigeration because of wasabi. The Japanese also realized that white eyes on a fish mean it’s old, while shiny eyes on a fish indicates that it is fresh