Tra My bamboo shoot season - Gift from the mountains and forests

VHO - Not only is it the harvest season of fresh bamboo shoots, bringing in income, each bamboo shoot season is also a joyful season, a season imbued with the rustic flavor of wild products that the mountains and forests give to the people of Tra My mountains and forests.

Products of the mountains and forests

These days, the Ca Dong and Xo Dang people are excitedly gathering in the forests of Tra Giap, Tra Tan, and Tra Van in Da Nang city to harvest fresh and delicious bamboo shoots.

Bamboo shoots, a type of shoot that grows naturally from the nứa plant (related to bamboo), typically grow naturally in forests or are cultivated in the fields of the Ca Dong and Xơ Đăng ethnic groups in the communes of Trà Ka, Trà Giác, Trà Giáp (formerly Bắc Trà My district), Trà Vân, and Trà Vinh (formerly Nam Trà My district) in the old Quảng Nam province.

The Ca Dong people in Tra My go into the forest to gather bamboo shoots. Photo: VTP

When the rainforest rains begin, from around August to December, young bamboo shoots sprout rapidly, becoming a gift from the mountains and forests to the local people.

When the Ca Dong and Xe Dang people go into the forest to harvest bamboo shoots, they choose those that have just sprouted above the ground, about 10-12 days old, with the tips not exceeding 20 cm above the ground.

At this time of year, the bamboo shoots are plump, ivory white in color, with a fresh green peel, a slightly sweet taste, no bitterness, and retain their characteristic crispness even when dried or processed into the local people's signature dishes.

Fresh bamboo shoots harvested at this time have a slightly sweet taste and retain their characteristic crispness.

After harvesting, the bamboo shoots are briefly boiled, and the locals then take them to crossroads and the centers of the communes to sell to passersby. This has become a rustic yet flavorful product of the mountains and forests, loved and sought after by many.

After harvesting, the bamboo shoots are briefly boiled before being sold at the market or used in various culinary dishes.

Many unique dishes are made from bamboo shoots by the local people, such as: stir-fried bamboo shoots with meat, boiled bamboo shoots with chili salt dip, bamboo shoot sour soup, bamboo shoot stew with duck, bamboo shoot salad, or pickled bamboo shoots with chili.

Enhancing the value of mountain and forest products.

More than just a unique culinary product that provides income, bamboo shoots are also a distinctive product carrying cultural, ecological, and economic value for the people of the Tra My highlands.

Dried bamboo shoot product

To preserve the flavor of bamboo shoots and extend their shelf life, in addition to preparing dishes from fresh bamboo shoots, the local people process them by briefly boiling them, then drying them in the sun or using a drying machine to make dried bamboo shoots, or pickling them in bamboo tubes to eat gradually during the winter.

Currently, farmers have researched and developed vacuum-packed dried bamboo shoot products for longer preservation, allowing the products to reach larger markets.

Harvesting bamboo shoots - a product of the Tra My mountain forest. Photo: VTP

Tra Ka dried bamboo shoots, processed and preserved using traditional methods at the family facility of Mr. Nguyen Hoang Thong in the former Tra Ka commune (now Tra Giap commune, Da Nang city), is one of the typical OCOP products that achieved 3-star certification in the former mountainous district of Bac Tra My.

The dried bamboo shoots from Tra Ka produced by Nguyen Hoang Thong's facility are a typical OCOP product that received a 3-star certification from the former Bac Tra My district.

Reportedly, each harvest season, the facility purchases more than 2 tons of raw bamboo shoots harvested by the Ca Dong people from naturally growing or cultivated shoots in their fields.

Fresh bamboo shoots are boiled until cooked, then dried at high temperatures, vacuum-packed, have a long shelf life, contain no preservatives, retain their characteristic flavor when cooked, and are guaranteed to be safe and hygienic.

In the meals that the people of the Tra My highlands offer guests, bamboo shoots are an indispensable delicacy.

The Bắc Trà My region, formerly part of Quảng Nam province, is famous for its local products such as Trà My cinnamon and upland rice wine. With the desire to improve quality and build brands for these products, the locality has recently registered many products for the OCOP program, including: Minh Phúc Trà My cinnamon essential oil; Trà My honey; Bắc Trà My upland rice wine; and bamboo shoot kimchi, etc.

Source: https://baovanhoa.vn/dan-toc-ton-giao/mua-mang-nua-tra-my-qua-tang-tu-nui-rung-166285.html