The market

Dried bamboo shoots

The young shoot of bamboo, dug before it breaks the ground — crisp and mild once boiled, bitter before.

Knowing it

Where to buy
Fresh from Japanese and Chinese grocers in spring; vacuum-packed or tinned, already boiled, the rest of the year.
Worth knowing
Fresh shoots must be boiled before eating — traditionally with rice bran — to take out the bitterness. Never eat them raw.

Kitchens that keep it in

Anhui province, eastern ChinaAnhuiMountain cooking from old Huizhou: bamboo shoots, mushrooms and cured things, braised long and dark, with a taste for the fermented — stinky fish and hairy tofu.8 classics