Bamboo shoots

Bamboo Shoot

It is a traditional vegetable in Manipur and in other Asian countries for more than 2,500 years. It has been one of the Manipuri’s favourite of all times.

 It is taken in various forms namely, Soibum (fermented), Soidon (little harder), oo-soi (tender ones) for making curries, kaang-hou and singju.

Soidon

Soibum

Bamboo shoots are not only delicious but are also rich in nutrients, and rank among the five most popular healthcare foods in the world.

In Japan, the bamboo shoot is called the “King of Forest Vegetables”.

The properties of bamboo shoots were recorded in the book of Compendium of Materia Medica, a pharmaceutical text written during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), with the following words: "It’s slightly cold, sweet, non-toxic, and it quenches thirst, benefits the liquid circulatory system, supplements Qi, and can be served as a daily dish."

Bamboo shoot helps in preventing cancer, weight loss, improving appetite and digestion. It has low sugar thus used for treating hypertension, hyperlipemia and hyperglycemia.

Japanese scientists recently discovered that bamboo shoots contain anti-cancer agents and making them a regular part of your diet effectively eliminates the free radicals that can produce dangerous carcinogens.

With the economic development and the improvement of people’s living standards, demand for natural foods, especially organic food, has greatly increased.

Moso bamboo does not contain toxic substances and its products are made in strict accordance with the food safety standards, so it is an ideal resource for natural foods.

The main nutrients in bamboo shoots are:

·       Protein

·       amino acid

·       fat

·       fibre

·       sugar and

·       Inorganic salt.

They are rich in protein, containing between 1.49 and 4.04 grams (average 2.65g) per 100g of fresh bamboo shoots. The bamboo protein produces eight essential and two semi-essential amino acids. Although the fat content is comparatively low (0.26-0.94%), it is still higher than in many other vegetables, and the shoots contain rich essential fatty acids. The total sugar content, 2.5% on average, is lower than that in other vegetables. The water content is 90% or more.

       

        Thus, the about information’s help us to know the benefits we have from the food we eat in our everyday-to-day life. So, let us always know what we eat for a healthy and better life.