# What's for lunch - bamboo shoots



## KyushuCalanthe (Jun 18, 2016)

A little vid about collecting and preparing the henon bamboo, Phyllostachys nigra f. henonis, for eating in Japan. They really are delicious.

Bamboo Shoot Hunt


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## Wendy (Jun 18, 2016)

Very interesting and informative. Thank you!


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## Lanmark (Jun 18, 2016)

Great video! How fortunate you are to have these experiences.


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## abax (Jun 18, 2016)

I've found that preparation, presentation and eating traditional Japanese food is an esthetic experience as well
as a pleasure for the palate...and healthy too. Yum!


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## cnycharles (Jun 19, 2016)

I used to have some Japanese plate and bowl ware I'd purchase from a grad student couple returning to Japan; the plates were rectangular and all were very interesting to look at
Love bamboo shoots 


Elmer Nj


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## Linus_Cello (Jun 19, 2016)

Yum! Not just for pandas


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## Linus_Cello (Jun 20, 2016)

What's the cymbidium at 6:50ish?


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## KyushuCalanthe (Jun 20, 2016)

I'm glad you all are enjoying it. Sorry for the crunching at the dinner table - I was too close to the mic. Also, the link name "Bamboo Shoot Hunt" was a bit of an unfortunate choice of words. As usual, I was rushed and just typed that out, not thinking.



Lanmark said:


> Great video! How fortunate you are to have these experiences.



I have been here so long now that I don't even recognize these experiences as being exceptional since they are fully integrated into everyday life. But, you are right, I am lucky. On the other hand, luck is also a product of putting yourself in the way of opportunity  



Linus_Cello said:


> What's the cymbidium at 6:50ish?



Cymbidium floribundum - native of China and brought to Japan in the mid 15th century. Very cold resistant species with lovely pendulous spikes.


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## Marco (Jun 20, 2016)

Looks yummy. I haven't eaten dinner yet. I'm getting super hungry


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## Happypaphy7 (Jun 22, 2016)

Thank you for the wonderful video, again! 

I love the sound of wind going through the bamboo forest.
Very therapeutic! 

I used to eat aralia elata back in Korea. Are they common in Japan?
I think in Korea, they are so badly harvested.
I don't think I've ever seen a fully grown huge tree. Just small trees that get their "head" chopped off in the spring for human consumption. lol
We steam cook it and then dip it in the red pepper paste sauce. 
Pretty good, I'll have to say. 

Maybe you should have included fern shoot hunting also?
I don't know any specific names, but there are these large growing ferns (I assume they grow in Japan as well) that people harvest the young shoots in the spring when they emerge. Same treatment as bamboo shoot. cook and drain out the toxins before eating. 
Or dry them in the sun and eat with rice. 

San Cho,,,smells so refreshing! 

What is that white orchid flower? Bletilla??


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## KyushuCalanthe (Jun 22, 2016)

Happypaphy7 said:


> I used to eat aralia elata back in Korea. Are they common in Japan?
> I think in Korea, they are so badly harvested.
> I don't think I've ever seen a fully grown huge tree. Just small trees that get their "head" chopped off in the spring for human consumption. lol
> We steam cook it and then dip it in the red pepper paste sauce.
> Pretty good, I'll have to say.



Yes, very common. Plants growing near humans are over harvested, but can grow freely in the mountains. I wonder if you could make kimchi with this plant. It really is delicious as tempura.



> Maybe you should have included fern shoot hunting also?
> I don't know any specific names, but there are these large growing ferns (I assume they grow in Japan as well) that people harvest the young shoots in the spring when they emerge. Same treatment as bamboo shoot. cook and drain out the toxins before eating.
> Or dry them in the sun and eat with rice.



Yes, very common to eat fern croziers here. Pteridium aquilinum (braken) and Osmunda japonica are the most common locally eaten species. We got a late start this year collecting the bamboo, and also the ferns - they had grown too big to harvest. Japanese people eat so many wild plants, even ones that are semi-posionous!



> What is that white orchid flower? Bletilla??



Yup, B. striata, semi-alba form


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## Happypaphy7 (Jun 22, 2016)

When I was a kid, I would spend the entire summer at my grandma's in the rural area. She had a few trees of aralia elata right out side her backyard, and I remember they never got very tall. The new shoots were always chopped off by my grandma, although they grew on later. 
If I remember right, they have lots of these scary little thorns all over them.

I think I saw some people steam cook them and then add spices like bean paste with pepper powder, although that does not qualify as kimchi. lol 
I never thought of eating them fried, but I can imagine it. 
They do taste very good. It has been many years since I last had them.

Koreans eat all kinds of things from the wild as well. lol

My grandma always brought back home edible plants of some sort every early morning she went out into the forest. good times!


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## naoki (Jun 26, 2016)

Another great video! I haven't eaten that species, and it looks quite different from the ones you frequently see in Japan. Actually my grand parents were commercial bamboo shoot growers/producers. Every spring, we got lots of nice bamboo shoots from them. Tempura was my favorite, I think.

That is a gorgeous farm house.


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## JeanLux (Jul 1, 2016)

Just watched your great video Tom! Excellent sequences of the garden, the bamboo place, and preparation of the shoots..., the food must have been delicious  !!!! Thanks for showing!!!! Jean


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