In Thailand, laos and Vietnam bamboo shoots are seasonal delicacies. Those called takenoko are one of the spring specials in Japan

• Crisp and chewy bamboo shoots are freshly erupting edible culms of bamboo plant. Young, tender shoots are a seasonal delicacy in East Asian regions, particularly in China, Taiwan, Japan and other South-East Asian countries. Several species of bamboo plants are employed in the bamboo shoot farming.
• Bamboo plant is a member in the grass family. After about three to four years of implantation, a new shoot arises from the underneath root-system which is then gathered and eaten as vegetable.
• Bamboo shoots are one of very low calorie vegetables. Hundred grams fresh canes hold just only 27 calories.
• Bamboo shoots compose an excellent level of potassium. Hundred grams of fresh shoots hold 533 mg or 11 per cent of daily required levels of potassium. Potassium is an important component of cell and body fluids that helps controlling heart rate and blood pressure by countering effects of sodium.
• Raw bamboo shoots from the market should be processed before adding them in cooking. The whole process of shoot preparation consists of two steps, peeling its outer tough sheaths and detoxification of its inner meat in order to remove bitter compounds.
• In Thailand, laos and Vietnam bamboo shoots are a seasonal delicacies. Varieties of mouth-watering recipes of tender bamboo culms are prepared in traditional methods.
• The shoots called as takenoko are one of the spring specials in Japan. Fine, thinly sliced shoots are added to salads, stir-fries or rice (takenoko gohan).
• In Thailand, pickled bamboo shoots (sour bamboo shoot pickle) are used in delicious curries with vegetables and shrimps. The curry is generally served along with steamed rice.
• A traditional forest vegetable in China for more than 2,500 years, 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.
• 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.
• The use of bamboo as food in India is mainly restricted to northeastern part of the country where they form an indispensable part of several traditional speciality dishes. The different ethnic communities take fresh or fermented bamboo shoot as one of most preferred traditional food items. Some of the important bamboo-based traditional foods are ushoi, soibum, rep, mesu, eup, ekhung, hirring and so forth.
• Bamboo shoots should be properly processed before they are consumed as freshly harvested shoots have high content of toxic cyanogenic glycosides which may pose serious health problems.
• The emerging tender shoots must be collected at appropriate time of growing season when young shoots attend suitable height and development. The best edible shoots for consumption are obtained in middle of growing season as shoots harvested during the beginning or end of growing season tend to be either weaker or over developed. The bamboo shoots may be further processed for consumption in fresh or fermented forms after harvest.
• Gulai rebung which is made from bamboo shoots with thick coconut milk is widely consumed in Indonesia. People of Philippines make local cuisine called labong from bamboo shoots, coconut milk and chillies.
• The steamed ground pork patty with finely diced bamboo shoots sprinkled with soy sauce on the top is consumed as one of the most popular Chinese dishes. The freshly harvested bamboo shoots after the removal of hard sheaths are cleaned with water and shredded in small slices. The shoot pieces are treated with plain water for two to three hours or boiled for one and half hours to remove the acridity.
• In some countries like Thailand and Vietnam, the finely chopped bamboos may be directly consumed as salad after water treatment. The bamboo shoot pieces after boiling are salted slightly for 8–10 minutes and consumed in Australia and New Zealand.
• The Kandha tribe of Western India prepares kardi a traditional bamboo based food by soaking shredded pieces of shoots in water for a day in order to remove bitterness before cooking.