Bamboo Shoots

The young shoots of many species of bamboo are cultivated for the table in China, winter shoots being available from November to January, spring shoots from January to April and summer shoots from April to July. They are canned in chunks, in tips and in slices for both the Chinese and foreign markets. On the whole, the canned product – our mainstay in the West – retains much of the crisp texture that is characteristic of bamboo shoots, which are used to give a good contrast of texture to other ingredients in a dish. For best results, they should be blanched briefly before use, especially if they come sliced in the can.