All About Eating Bamboo Shoots
You’ll probably be familiar with bamboo as a building material or just as a tree that grows abundantly in tropical regions. But eating bamboo shoots? That might sound strange. Here’s why it’s not weird at all when it comes to Thai food.
Bamboo Shoots in Thai Food
Food photo created by jcomp – www.freepik.com
When you visit Thailand and you wander around Thai markets, you’ll start to notice bamboo shoots in all sorts of curry dishes and soups. This might strike you as odd if you come from a non-tropical part of the world.
Thais love to add bamboo shoots to many dishes, especially in the Northeastern region of the country. The term in Thai for bamboo shoots is naw mai (หน่อไม้ ).
One common country-wide use for the younger and more tender bamboo shoots is to boil them and serve with chili dips. You can also get a special variation of the popular som tam salad that has bamboo shoots added to it.
There is a very special dish in which eating bamboo shots is very common; it’s called gaeng naw mai. This dish originated in Laos. But the people of nearby Isaan also love to eat the soup, which also has another surprising Thai ingredient, yanang leaf juice.
Another interesting and delicious bamboo shoot dish in Isaan is mok nor mai. This is an interesting curry-like dish steamed in a banana leaf. It has dill in it, which I had never before encountered in Thai food. Really worth seeking out if you’re in Thailand.
What Do Bamboo Shoots Taste Like?
Eating bamboo shoots has a fibrous bitter taste to it with a slight bit of sweetness. The pickled flavor comes from the fact that many dishes with bamboo shoots added to them use pickled bamboo. In fact, fresh bamboo is only available during the rainy season months in Thailand.
The texture is similar to artichokes or white asparagus in that it’s crunchy. In fact, overall the shoots are quite similar to asparagus. Hence why the funny direct translation of the term Thais use for asparagus is ‘foreign bamboo.’
Outside of Thailand it’s very common to see bamboo shoots come in cans or jars. The shoots are pickled. The pickling obviously impacts the flavor. The taste of bamboo becomes much more vinegary when pickled. This pickled taste adds a different dimension to papaya salad when used in it.
The smell of canned bamboo is very astringent; almost to the point of being off-putting. To my nose, they smell like urine. Thankfully, the bamboo shoots taste nothing at all like they smell. If they did, I’m not sure anyone would eat them.
Bamboo shoots are young stems that will eventually grow into bamboo plants. They are typically an opaque white color when raw, which turns yellow when cooked. It’s important to note that it’s dangerous to eat raw bamboo shoots, which is why they’re always boiled before you use them in dishes. They’re also boiled already if you buy them in cans.
Wrapping Up
If you’re ever in Thailand, don’t be put off by the thought of eating bamboo shoots. They honestly taste pretty good and are a great alternative to always eating meat.
If you’re not in Thailand but you find a recipe calling for bamboo shoots, don’t be intimidated. Try it out and see what you think. Just make sure if you get fresh shoots to boil them first!
I lived in Thailand for a few years during my 20s during which time I fell in love with Thai food. Along with my Thai partner, I cook and eat tasty Thai dishes 3 or 4 times per week. I’m here to bring you recipes, Thai food tips, and suggested cookware for making Thai food.
