Phyllostachys edulis
ingredient / ingredient-takenoko
たけのこ
Young underground stems (bamboo shoots) of moso bamboo (mōsōchiku). Toyama local-cuisine records state that bitterness and astringency vary with the soil of the production area.
Photographs (captions in Japanese)
A shoot of moso bamboo emerging from the soil. The tip pokes out of ground that has risen as if pushing aside stones
Shown: 孟宗竹 (moso bamboo, as written in the source; the scientific name Phyllostachys edulis is as given in entities.csv)Part / state: A young bamboo shoot protruding from the soil to the surface. Wrapped in brown sheaths with short hairs, and the tip still half buried in soil
Photo: サフィル (User:サフィル) / CC BY-SA 4.0 / original image / ledger's original image
Scope and provenance of the photo
Identification: Identified as labelled in the source. The description (Japanese) states "moso bamboo shoot pushing aside a stone with vitality". Original size 4128x3096. I opened the image and confirmed. The tip of a bamboo shoot covered in brown sheaths protrudes from the soil, pushing aside the adjacent stone
Image shown: The original from Wikimedia Commons, reduced to 2400 px on the long side. No cropping or color changes. For display, a WebP capped at 1200 px wide is served; the ledger's original image can be checked from the link above.
On this page (8 sections)
Reading the bitterness
An official database recording Toyama cuisine states that bamboo-shoot bitterness and astringency vary by production area within the prefecture. Shoots from the Kurokawa area of Imizu are described as having distinctive slight bitterness derived from black soil in the bamboo grove. This is a regional 「いわれ・特徴」 (in translation: "origin and characteristics") description, not a chemical analysis confirming a soil relationship.
The same record contrasts shoots from Nishida, Takaoka: grown in clay soil, they are soft yet firm and have little astringency. Thus one local-cuisine record contains differing descriptions of bitterness and astringency by production area.
In the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries' record for the Yamashiro area of Kyoto Prefecture, 「京たけのこ」 (Kyō takenoko) is harvested before it emerges from the ground, and shoots dug in the morning are boiled in water that same day, using local groundwater. Preparing it as boiled-in-water is introduced as a way to enjoy it 1 year-round, and it is used in clear soup, 「木の芽和え」 (kinome-ae), 「若竹煮」 (wakatake-ni), tempura, and sashimi.
Sources for this overview
Checked for this overview: Used the description of slight bitterness attributed to black soil as the basis for this paragraph. / Used the contrasting description of low astringency as the basis for this paragraph.
Checked for this overview: Used to describe the harvest before emergence from the ground, same-day boiling of morning-dug shoots, the use of local groundwater, and the introduction that preparing it as boiled-in-water allows it to be enjoyed 1 year-round. / Used to describe its use in clear soup, kinome-ae, wakatake-ni, tempura, and sashimi.
Follow the connections
takenoko miso-ni (bamboo shoot simmered in miso) →includes→ Phyllostachys edulis
Hypotheses and recipe candidates for this entry are on the Japanese page.
Structured claims — open a section to read each claim's confidence, evidence and limits
Sensory (1)
Scope: Layer: food. The abstract of 1 study of above-ground moso bamboo shoots. The abstract that could be read gives no value for the bitterness of the flesh
Note: Bitterness and astringency were not separated, so the direction for bitterness alone cannot be stated. The abstract that could be read gives no value for the bitterness of the flesh, so how it changed is unknown. Rice bran and rice-washing water were not tested.
Show data
ingredient-takenoko —is_documented_as_having→ (the claim sentence above)How processing and cooking change it (3)
Scope: The Toyama local-cuisine record
Note: The record lists 320g of bamboo shoots as an ingredient for 4 people.
Show data
dish-takenoko-misoni-toyama —includes→ ingredient-takenokoScope: The Kyoto Prefecture boiled-bamboo-shoot introduction in the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries' 「にっぽん伝統食図鑑」 (Nippon Dentōshoku Zukan)
Note: A production introduction for the Yamashiro area, not a nationwide standard for boiled bamboo shoots or home cooking.
Show data
ingredient-takenoko —is_processed_by→ (the claim sentence above)Scope: The Kyoto Prefecture boiled-bamboo-shoot introduction in the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries' 「にっぽん伝統食図鑑」 (Nippon Dentōshoku Zukan)
Note: A listing of dish names, not a survey that measured the frequency or cooking conditions of each dish.
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ingredient-takenoko —is_used_in→ (the claim sentence above)Culture (2)
Scope: The Toyama local-cuisine record 「たけのこの味噌煮」 (in translation: "bamboo shoots simmered with miso") (Kurokawa production area).
Note: This is a Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) public database's 「いわれ・特徴」 (in translation: "origin and characteristics") description, not a chemical analysis confirming a soil relationship.
Show data
ingredient-takenoko —has_sensory_attribute→ (the claim sentence above)Scope: The Toyama local-cuisine record 「たけのこの味噌煮」 (in translation: "bamboo shoots simmered with miso") (Nishida production area).
Note: This is a comparison of production areas within the same record. It is recorded separately by area rather than being flattened into one claim with Kurokawa.
Show data
ingredient-takenoko —has_sensory_attribute→ (the claim sentence above)