Bitter bamboo shoots of the West

(Baonghean) - These days, people in the highlands of Ky Son and Tuong Duong districts are excitedly going into the forest to collect bitter bamboo shoots. The bitter bamboo shoot season lasts from January to March of the lunar calendar. Currently, bitter bamboo shoots not only help ethnic minorities overcome hunger during the lean season but have also become a popular specialty...

Bitter... a love story

Sitting by the red fire, Mr. Luong Van Quyen - a village elder in Luu Phong village, Luu Kien commune (Tuong Duong) told us a fairy tale about bitter bamboo shoots. The story goes that, long ago, when the land where the Nam Mo river flows through was still very sparsely inhabited, there was a couple who loved each other deeply. There was only one thing, the boy's family was very poor while the girl was from a rich family. When the boy's family came to ask for her hand in marriage, the girl's family did not agree, so they told the boy to bring 100 silver bars, 3 big male buffaloes, 10 fat pigs, 300 kilos of sticky rice to take the girl home. Knowing that he could not have enough assets to marry the girl, the boy had to accept and leave. Indignant, he left his hometown, crossed the forest and streams to Ai Lao land to earn money with the promise to return to marry her 3 years later.

Bitter bamboo shoots are sold everywhere.

The day he left, she waited at home, hoping that after 3 years he would return to pick her up. Her parents could not bear to see their child waiting for a poor man who did not know whether he would live or die in a foreign land, so they forced her to marry a rich man from a nearby village, but she firmly refused. She told her parents that if he did not return after 3 years, she would agree to their arrangement.

The long time of 3 years had passed in her longing and waiting but he still had not returned. When the time came, the groom's family from the other village came to pick her up. She sadly asked her parents to let her go to Nam Mo river to wash her hair before following her husband. Then she walked towards the sunset without knowing where she was. Her footsteps gradually took her up the high mountain. The cold night and hunger made her collapse on the high mountain and turned into a bamboo tree. But this bamboo tree only produced bamboo shoots in the spring, the bamboo shoots had a bitter taste like her love story...

Highland specialties

Entering Luu Phong village of Luu Kien commune (Tuong Duong), we saw a group of people busily carrying bamboo shoots home after a hard day's work. Everyone's faces showed joy. Mr. Lo Van Xa, Luu Phong village, excitedly said: "It's the beginning of the season so bamboo shoots are easier to find, the later the season, the scarcer they are, we have to go all day to get a little." He and his wife set out early in the morning and only got about 30 kg of bamboo shoots. Hearing that he and his wife were going to get bamboo shoots, some people in the village came, the men grilled bamboo shoots over the fire to drink with wine; the women tied bamboo shoots into small bundles to share with the families in the village; and some children were sitting peeling bamboo shoots and eating them raw deliciously. Looking at the spring rain outside, Mr. Xa happily said: "When it rains like this, the bamboo shoots grow very quickly."

The joy of new bamboo shoot season

Bitter bamboo shoots are related to bamboo shoots, bamboo, giang... but have the characteristic of only growing in highlands with cold climates. Bitter bamboo shoots grow deep in the ground, persistent and resilient, as if testing the will of those who seek them. The tools people bring to pick bamboo shoots are hoes, knives and shovels. It is not as simple as bamboo shoots, which can be simply cut across, but to get bitter bamboo shoots, one must dig deep into the ground. Village elder Luong Van Quyen in Luu Kien commune (Tuong Duong) said: "Bringing bitter bamboo shoots home is not simple at all. When the rooster crows in the morning, one must carry a shovel to the forest and dig until it is full. When one gets home, the rooster has already gone to sleep in the coop."

Peel bamboo shoots

There are many types of bitter bamboo shoots, some are as small as a finger, and have a bitter taste mixed with sweetness when eaten. This type of bitter bamboo shoots grows a lot in the high mountains and forests and do not have to be dug up like other types. As for the type of bamboo shoots as big as an adult's calf, they have to be dug deep into the ground to get them. This type has the characteristic of being more bitter as it goes up to the top, while the part underground is sweeter. Mr. Lo Van Xa said that not everyone can distinguish between the types of bitter bamboo shoots. The large type also has bitter and non-bitter types. Most of these types are called "nô khồm" by the Thai people, but "nô khồm" with purple skin is less bitter. As for the "nô khồm" type with yellow skin, whether it is in the ground or when it is high up, it is still very bitter. Therefore, when buying bamboo shoots, buyers can choose according to their preferences, but it is best to ask the people carefully which types are bitter and which are not.

Grilled bamboo shoots

In the chilly spring weather, sitting by the red fire of the local people enjoying grilled bamboo shoots is really enjoyable. Mr. Lo Van Xa said: "People from the lowlands bring bamboo shoots back without knowing how to prepare them, but the traditional dishes of the people here are boiled dishes, grilled on charcoal or cooked in betel leaf soup. Among them, grilled bitter bamboo shoots on charcoal is the most popular dish." While sipping grilled bamboo shoots and listening to him talk endlessly about the bitter bamboo shoot dishes that the people often prepare like a professional highland chef, we went from one interesting experience to another.

According to him, when lighting a fire, choose firewood that produces a lot of charcoal. When the charcoal is rich, put the bitter bamboo shoots in to cover. Wait until the outer skin of the bamboo shoots is burnt black, use your hand to gently squeeze the tip of the bamboo shoots and feel soft, then that is when the bamboo shoots are cooked. The bitter bamboo shoots flavor blends with the aroma of the charcoal, making it irresistible.

As for boiled bamboo shoots, according to him, people from the lowlands often peel off the skin and cut it into small pieces before boiling. Doing so will lose the delicious sweetness of the bamboo shoots. To have a delicious boiled bamboo shoots dish, when you bring the bamboo shoots home, you must wash them with the skin on, then put them in the pot to boil to retain the sweetness and rich flavor of the wild bamboo shoots.

Along National Highway 7 from Tuong Duong district to Muong Xen town of Ky Son district this season, the villagers sell a lot of bitter bamboo shoots. The price of 1 kg of bitter bamboo shoots at the beginning of the season is about 8,000 VND to 10,000 VND, when reaching the town it can be more expensive but it is always crowded with buyers. Some people buy them to eat, some buy them as gifts. Saying goodbye to the villagers after enjoying the mountain specialties, we each bought some bitter bamboo shoots as gifts for relatives in the lowlands. When getting on the bus to go home, the women in Luu Phong village also told us: "Remember to cook the bamboo shoots to eat immediately when you get home, don't leave them for more than 3 days or they will not be delicious anymore." Looking at the bamboo shoots I brought with me, I suddenly felt as happy as a child receiving a gift, and I loved the mountains and people of Western Nghe An even more.

Dao Tho