Enjoy the season with bamboo shoots

2024/05/03

business tripbusiness trip

Bamboo shoots are in season now. Apparently there is a bumper crop this year, and I was fortunate to receive some from friends and neighbors on their way back from a business trip. What's more, they were already prepared, which was a blessing😭

Bamboo shoots used to grow every year on the mountains owned by my late mother's family, and I have fond memories of boiling freshly picked bamboo shoots in a drum outdoors and eating them with wasabi and soy sauce.

It is said that "the first fruits of the season will live for 75 days," so I felt grateful and happy to receive the first fruits of the season.

By the way, do you know the difference between the kanji characters "takenoko" and "bamboo shoots"?

"Bamboo shoots" are edible after about 10 days of sprouting. On the other hand, "takenoko" are shoots that grow after that and are not suitable for eating.

We enjoyed the bamboo shoots we were given in a variety of ways, including as sashimi dipped in wasabi and soy sauce, as bamboo shoot rice, and as a stir-fry using gochujang, cheese, and butter.