When it comes to Mabi’s specialty products, it’s “bamboo.”
It’s easy to find places selling crafts and processed goods made from Mabi bamboo, but opportunities to come across Mabi bamboo shoots are few and far between.
At the end of April, as the season arrived, I found myself thinking, “I’d like to try Mabi bamboo shoots.” An acquaintance who is a Community Revitalization Cooperator in Mabi Town asked me, “Want to try digging up bamboo shoots?” So I took on the challenge of bamboo shoot digging.
Here’s what it was like to try bamboo shoot digging for the first time in my life.
The information provided was current when this article was published in May 2024. Please note that it may differ from current information.
About Mabi bamboo shoots
Mabi bamboo shoots have the following characteristics in terms of taste and appearance:
- They have little bitterness and are sweet and tender
- They are beautifully white
- They have far less bitterness than ordinary bamboo shoots
Among these qualities, their low bitterness is unusual even nationwide. Unlike the usual method of removing bitterness from bamboo shoots, which requires rice bran, you can simply boil them in water to remove the bitterness. Apparently, bamboo shoots that have had their bitterness removed can even be eaten as they are, like sashimi.
The soil in Mabi Town is well suited to growing bamboo shoots, and well-maintained, clay-rich red soil produces high-quality shoots. The Kurashiki Tourism WEB introduces the area as the largest bamboo shoot-producing region in western Japan.
Bamboo shoots grow quickly, so if the harvest is even slightly delayed, they soon turn into bamboo, making the timing of digging extremely important. If more bamboo grows than can be managed, it can become a problem that damages the forest, so bamboo shoot digging is also said to contribute to environmental conservation.
I went bamboo shoot digging
With Masahiro Yoshida, a Community Revitalization Cooperator in Mabi Town, showing me around, I tried digging up bamboo shoots.
The challenging search for bamboo shoots
The first place he took me to was a bamboo grove on a gentle slope.
There was bamboo as far as the eye could see, and all I could hear was the sound of branches swaying in the wind and birdsong. Soft sunlight filtered through the trees and fell on the ground, making it such a peaceful place that I couldn’t help but feel relaxed.
The first step in digging bamboo shoots is to find the shoots buried in the soil.
I followed behind Yoshida as he made his way through the bamboo grove.
When I asked what the tape Yoshida was carrying was for, he explained that when he finds a bamboo shoot, he sticks a piece of tape on a nearby bamboo stalk as a marker. Looking around the grove, I could indeed see bamboo stalks here and there with brightly colored tape attached.
There are two ways to search for bamboo shoots: looking for them visually, and stepping on the ground to feel their tips underfoot.
Apparently, it takes a knack to find them with your feet. I tried stepping on the ground and searching by copying what I saw, but whenever I thought I’d stepped on something hard, it turned out to be a stone, and I couldn’t find any at all.
I also tried looking for them, but as a novice I couldn’t find any easily, so I moved slowly, observing carefully.
At one point the ground became uneven, and I grabbed a nearby bamboo stalk. I was surprised by how thick and sturdy it was. I couldn’t imagine that a tender bamboo shoot could eventually grow into something so impressive. It felt cool, smooth, and so pleasant to touch that I wanted to keep stroking it.
After walking for about 15 minutes, Yoshida found a bamboo shoot and brought over the tool for digging it up.
Usually, people dig them up with a hoe, but in Mabi Town they use a tool called a tsuki. It is straight from the handle to the tip, and its blade is flat. The tsuki was light enough to hold in one hand, even for someone with little strength, though carrying it around in the bamboo grove might be a little difficult.
We got started digging up the bamboo shoot with the tsuki. First, I watched Yoshida demonstrate.
Aiming for the base of the bamboo shoot, he swung the tsuki down diagonally with force and drove it into the ground.
Once the tsuki was lodged at the base, he used it as a lever to lift the bamboo shoot.
Carefully moving the tsuki so as not to break the shoot, he completely severed it at the base, and it slowly fell to the ground.
When I picked it up, I saw that it was a pretty impressive-sized bamboo shoot.
Personally, I thought, “I’m glad there’s so much to eat,” but Yoshida told me that bamboo shoots that have grown this tall above the ground have been exposed to too much sunlight, making them tough, and that “bamboo shoots that have grown large while still buried underground are tender and delicious.”
So too much sunlight changes their flavor and texture.
It was my first time touching a raw bamboo shoot. Its skin was densely covered in fine hairs, making it feel as if I were touching a living creature.
Apparently, the number of bamboo shoots that grow depends on the amount of rain the previous year, and this year (2024) the harvest is especially small.
Time to try digging up bamboo shoots
We moved to another bamboo grove, and this time I started looking for a bamboo shoot to dig up myself.
Along the way, I saw signs that wild boars had eaten bamboo shoots, and realized that we share these precious gifts of nature.
As soon as we entered the bamboo grove, Yoshida pointed and said, “There’s one over there,” but I couldn’t see where it was. As expected, it’s quite a challenge for a novice to find one.
I’ll try digging up the bamboo shoot Yoshida-san found for me.
Following Yoshida-san’s example, I first drove the digging tool into the ground at the base of the bamboo shoot. I couldn’t really feel it hitting the shoot, and wondered, “Is this the right spot?” Still unsure, I angled the tool and kept digging. Since the ground was sloped, I braced myself by hooking my foot around a bamboo stalk.
After a while, the bamboo shoot rolled onto the ground.
The edible part wasn’t damaged, and it had been cleanly cut from the base. My first time digging up bamboo shoots was a great success.
I’ll dig up one more.
A bamboo shoot peeking out just a little from beneath the fallen leaves. Since it’s hard to tell where the base is when it’s buried deep, I start by digging around it.
The more of it that’s hidden, the more I find myself hoping, “Maybe it’s a big bamboo shoot.”
When I drive the tool in, it feels quite light. Digging it up, I find a slim, cute bamboo shoot, smaller than I expected. It’s hard to guess the size of a bamboo shoot hidden underground.
Lined up, the bamboo shoots I dug up are all different shapes and sizes.
At the supermarket, I’m used to seeing vegetables and fruit that are uniform in shape and size, so the bamboo shoots of all different sizes felt refreshingly natural.
Finally, eating Mabi’s bamboo shoots
After washing off the dirt and soil from the freshly dug bamboo shoots, we simply wrap them in aluminum foil and grill them over charcoal.
The charcoal used for grilling is also bamboo charcoal made in Mabi.
I hear Mabi’s bamboo charcoal catches fire easily and burns hot. We pile it up until the bamboo shoots are covered, then light the fire.
While the bamboo shoots were grilling, I watched as they were prepared for cooking.
A cut is made in each bamboo shoot with a knife, then fingers are slipped into the cut to peel away the skin. The tough skin looks like it would be difficult to peel.
I’d never cooked bamboo shoots before, so I wondered how much of the tough skin needed to be peeled away. I was surprised to see that the skin had many more layers than I’d imagined. The shoots quickly became thinner and thinner.
At last, the edible part appeared, with a pure white color and fine texture.
Yoshida-san once told me, “Mabi’s bamboo shoots are beautifully white,” and they certainly seem whiter than ordinary bamboo shoots. I hear the base has just the right firmness for simmered dishes.
The tender tips can be boiled, then peeled one layer at a time and eaten with soy sauce—a dish known as “bamboo shoot sashimi,” which was recommended to us. We didn’t have time to try it this time, but if I can get freshly dug bamboo shoots next year, I’d like to give it a try.
The peeled bamboo shoots are simmered in a large pot. After a while, the heat is turned off, and as the water cools, the bitterness is removed, completing the preparation, we were told.
I thought that removing the bitterness without using rice bran takes little effort and is one of the great things about Mabi bamboo shoots.
Looking at the charcoal grilling from earlier, almost all of the bamboo charcoal piled on top had burned away.
While they’re still hot, the shoots are taken out and cut.
The flesh, which had been white when raw, had turned a faint yellow from the heat. We quickly dipped it in soy sauce while it was still hot and took a bite.
The first thing that surprised me when I put it in my mouth was how tender and juicy the flesh was. It was as juicy as fruit, and much softer than any bamboo shoots I’d eaten before.
I’d heard that Mabi bamboo shoots were sweet, but their sweetness exceeded my expectations. They seemed so high in sugar that I could compare them to some kind of fruit. Their aroma was also so fruity that it hardly seemed like bamboo shoots. Usually, they’re already infused with the flavors of dishes like simmered or stir-fried bamboo shoots, so I was amazed to discover that “bamboo shoots have a delicate aroma, too.”
The delicious taste of Mabi bamboo shoots, which I was trying for the first time, made all the fatigue from walking around the bamboo grove disappear.
From the Writer
I’d been looking forward to trying Mabi bamboo shoots for a long time. Freshly dug shoots had a rich flavor and were delicious. And since I got to eat ones I’d dug myself this time, they tasted twice as good.
Using a tsuki, even a beginner could dig them easily, but if you’re inexperienced, the tool can pierce the edible part, so experience and skill are needed to dig them cleanly. Bamboo shoots often grow in hard-to-reach places, and we were told that they can be difficult to dig unless you’re an expert. Even so, opportunities to dig bamboo shoots are rare, so I think it was a great experience.
Events where you can try digging bamboo shoots are sometimes held in Mabi, so be sure to check online when the season is in full swing (late April to early May).
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