Bitter bamboo shoot season in the Mekong Delta

(Baonghean.vn) - Every year, around the Lunar New Year, people in the highlands of Ky Son and Tuong Duong districts eagerly flock to the forest to gather bitter bamboo shoots. The bitter bamboo shoot season lasts from January to March of the lunar calendar. Currently, bitter bamboo shoots are not only a food that helps ethnic minority people overcome hunger during the lean season, but it has also become a popular delicacy among consumers..

Upon arriving at Luu Phong village in Luu Kien commune (Tuong Duong district), we encountered a bustling group of people carrying bamboo shoots back home after a hard day's work, their faces beaming with joy. Lo Van Xa, a resident of Luu Phong village, said: "Right after the Tet holiday, we all went back to the forest to collect bamboo shoots. It's the beginning of the season, so bamboo shoots are easier to find; the closer it gets to the end of the season, the scarcer they become, and it takes a whole day to get just a few." Looking at the heavy, grayish-yellow bamboo shoots, as thick as an adult's calf, weighing down the sweat-soaked baskets of the villagers, we could see the hardship but also the joy they felt.

Bitter bamboo shoots are sold everywhere.

Bitter bamboo shoots belong to the same family as bamboo shoots from other species like the *Nua*, *Trep*, and *Giang*, but their appearance resembles that of *Trep* bamboo and they only grow in high-altitude, cold climates. As winter draws to a close and the mountain trees shed their leaves in preparation for a warm, sunny spring, bitter bamboo shoots begin to sprout from the ground. The tools people bring to harvest them are hoes, knives, and shovels. Unlike bamboo shoots, which are simply cut horizontally and brought home, harvesting bitter bamboo shoots requires digging deep into the ground.

Elder Luong Van Quyen from Luu Kien commune (Tuong Duong district) said: "Although it's readily available in the forest, bringing the bitter bamboo shoots home is not simple at all. As soon as the rooster crows at dawn, we have to grab a shovel and head to the forest, digging diligently until we fill a basket. By the time we get home, the chickens have already gone to their coop to sleep."

Peel the bamboo shoots.

Bitter bamboo shoots come in many varieties. Some are small, about the size of a human finger, and are bundled together like green vegetables. This type has a bitter taste mixed with sweetness. These bitter bamboo shoots grow abundantly in high mountain forests and don't require digging like other types. The larger, calf-sized shoots require digging deep into the ground to retrieve them. This type is characterized by becoming increasingly bitter towards the top, while the underground part is sweeter.

In reality, not everyone knows how to distinguish between different types of bitter bamboo shoots. Even the large ones can be bitter or not. Most of these are called "no khom" by the Thai people, but "no khom" with a purple outer layer is less bitter. The "no khom" with a slightly yellower color and green leaves when it first emerges from the ground, whether underground or already tall, remains very bitter. Therefore, when buying bamboo shoots, buyers can choose according to their preference, but it's best to ask the locals which ones are bitter and which are not. Because it's very difficult to distinguish between bitter and non-bitter bamboo shoots by visual inspection alone; only those who directly harvest them know for sure.

Grilled bitter bamboo shoots

On a cool spring day, sitting by the warm fire of the villagers' kitchens to enjoy grilled bamboo shoots is an indescribable pleasure. Lo Van Xa said: "People from the lowlands bring bamboo shoots back and don't know how to prepare them, but the traditional dishes here are boiled, grilled over charcoal, or cooked in betel leaf soup. Among them, grilled bitter bamboo shoots over charcoal is the most popular."

Along National Highway 7, from Tuong Duong district to Muong Xen town in Ky Son district, or in the villages of the Thai, Mong, and Kho Mu ethnic groups, you can see people selling bitter bamboo shoots everywhere. The price of one kilogram of bitter bamboo shoots at the beginning of the season is around 8,000 to 10,000 VND, and it might be more expensive in the town, but there's always a bustling crowd of buyers. Some buy them to eat, others buy them as gifts. Mr. Va Ba Lau from Lien Son village in Nam Can commune (Ky Son district) happily said: “Every year when the bitter bamboo shoot season comes, I eagerly go to the forest to collect them for food and to earn some extra income. Each season, I earn at least five to seven hundred thousand dong, sometimes over a million, which helps support my family.”

Dao Tho