Man used wasabi to attack girlfriend, police say

Wasabi, also called Japanese horseradish, is a condiment with an extremely strong, hot flavour that many associate with a burning sensation in the mouth and nasal passages. (milanfoto / istockphoto) An American man accused of attacking his girlfriend with a pair of sauce-covered pants is facing charges of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon: wasabi.

Police told WBZ NewsRadio in Boston that John McGuinness, 22, and his girlfriend were driving home from a local pub when an argument broke out.

The girlfriend dropped McGuinness off at his Marston Mills home, but returned a short time later when he called her cellphone threatening to destroy a pair of her $200 jeans.

When the girlfriend returned, she found McGuinness outside with her pants, which had been covered in wasabi, green Japanese horseradish paste.

Police say he threw the jeans in her face. "It must have been intense in the eyes. He then poured more sauce in her car, and that's when a physical confrontation actually took place," Sgt. Sean Sweeney told WBZ NewsRadio 1030 in Boston.

The girlfriend used a bottle of water to flush the spicy Japanese condiment out of her eyes, according to police.

She was not hurt in the incident.

McGuinness was arrested and charged with domestic assault and battery, intimidation of a witness, and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon - the wasabi.