Enjoy bamboo shoots

In the fifth lunar month, the rains are heavier, and the mountainous terrain allows many endemic plants to grow, including bamboo shoots. There is only one season each year, but thanks to the large yield and diverse needs, bamboo shoots bring a significant source of income to the residents.

Strong bamboo shoots

In Cam Mountain (Tinh Bien Town), the most widely grown bamboo is the Manh Tong variety. The season for Manh Tong bamboo shoots is from now until the ninth lunar month. At the beginning of the season, the price of bamboo shoots is quite high, but the quantity harvested is quite small. In the main season, about 5-7 days of harvesting can reach tons, the price drops to only a few thousand VND per kg. Thanks to natural farming, not depending on fertilizers and pesticides, requiring little care, the quantity compensates for the income of the people here. The bamboo is left to grow in the sun and wind, at the beginning and end of the season, a little fertilizer is spread, and weeds are cleared to create paths, making it convenient for harvesting and transporting. Old bamboo trees are also exploited for households on the mountain to make chopsticks, making full use of them to serve life.

Mr. Tran Van Trung's household has been growing bamboo for nearly 40 years, initially to cover perennial fruit trees and limit erosion. Realizing that bamboo shoots bring income, each year Mr. Trung plants additional quantities to fill the gap between custard apples, durians, avocados, strawberries, etc. According to Mr. Trung, nearly half of the households living on the mountain grow bamboo for shoots, depending on the quantity, from a few dozen bushes to several hectares. Bamboo is suitable for sandy soil, has large bamboo stems, grows well, produces delicious and productive bamboo shoots. Bamboo shoots are the raw material for making attractive dishes, bringing income to people during the rainy season.

Bamboo shoots

Bamboo shoots are quite large, weighing an average of 3 - 5kg, the best are small bamboo shoots of about 2kg. Bamboo shoots have black skin, lots of hair, white stems, a characteristic sweet and crunchy taste, not bitter. "Living in the mountains, the cost of living is low, just need to work hard to have many types of fruit to sell that change with the seasons. In addition to selling fresh, bamboo shoots are processed into pickles, dried, which is a solution when the output is high and extends the consumption season for customers". Listening to Mr. Trung, we immediately imagined a pot of hot bamboo shoot soup, braised with pepper and meat or stir-fried with garlic... delicious.

With similar processing methods, those who like to enjoy bamboo shoots with a stronger flavor can try Tam Vong bamboo shoots - an " economic tree" in Tri Ton district. Tam Vong trees are grown mainly in Luong Phi commune and Ba Chuc town, and also appear sporadically in localities such as Le Tri, O Lam, Co To... Tam Vong stems are small, and people grow them mainly to exploit mature stems, not to take bamboo shoots. In recent years, Khmer ethnic minorities have harvested Tam Vong bamboo shoots for sale, gradually becoming a familiar consumption season for visitors.

Bamboo shoots are as small as a wrist, with a shiny, hard green skin. Peel off this skin, and the flesh inside is only half the original size. Perhaps that is why bamboo shoots are always priced high. Another reason is that few people harvest bamboo shoots to eat or sell, because healthy bamboo shoots will be grown into trees, which have higher economic value. The number of households selling bamboo shoots concentrated in An Tuc commune is not much, with modest stalls in front of their houses, but customers stop by to buy and snack all day long. There are types with the skin intact, types that have been peeled, pre-shredded, or pickled, dried...

Bamboo shoots can be used to make many delicious dishes.

Ms. Neang Sang (An Tuc commune) said that in addition to her family's bamboo shoots, she also buys more from neighboring households to have enough to sell throughout the season. Bamboo shoots are harvested from low shoots, or from bushes with too many shoots that need to be pruned to make the plants grow stronger. The lowest price for bamboo shoots is also 20,000 VND, and at the beginning of the season, it is twice as high. Bamboo shoots when processed into dishes will taste slightly bitter, crunchy and fragrant. Currently, only at the beginning of the season, Ms. Sang sells about 20kg every day. Towards the end of the season, she divides the quantity into fresh and dried ones. Dried bamboo shoots are flexible, not hard, no longer bitter, and are delicious when cooked in vermicelli and braised dishes.

To meet the demand of diners from all over the mountains to enjoy bamboo shoots, many restaurants have sprung up around bamboo plantations. They take advantage of the local food resources to serve a variety of attractive dishes, from boiled, stir-fried, stewed, salad, braised, hot pot... bringing their own unique flavors.

HOAI ANH

Source: https://baoangiang.com.vn/thuong-thuc-mang-nui-a421707.html