Sui Ning Winter Bamboo Shoots

Sui Ning Winter Bamboo Shoots

　　Sui Ning Winter Bamboo Shoots are a specialty of Sui Ning County in Shaoyang City, Hunan Province. The Phyllostachys pubescens (Moso bamboo) in Sui Ning sprout early, yield abundantly, and produce plump, robust shoots that are sold to major cities such as Guangdong, Shanghai, and Jiangsu-Zhejiang.

　　Winter bamboo shoots are the young buds that grow from the rhizomes of Moso bamboo. They develop in summer and are harvested after growing through the winter, hence the name “winter bamboo shoots.” These shoots have tender, juicy flesh that is crisp and refreshing, and they have long been praised as “golden-skinned jade, a unique vegetable delicacy.” During the Qing Dynasty, a man named Chen Xijin wrote a poem in their praise: “The wine of Maotai Village and the oranges of Hejiang are fine, a small pavilion with sheer curtains quickens delight; but only the shoots from Hulu Stream are truly rare, their winter taste leaves the tongue sweet.” This shows that as early as the Qing Dynasty, the winter bamboo shoots produced around Chishui Hushi were as famous and beloved as Maotai wine and Hejiang tangerines. This nutritious and medicinally beneficial delicacy is tender, flavorful, and crisp. It contains protein, various amino acids, vitamins, as well as trace elements such as calcium, phosphorus, and iron. Analysis shows that every 100 grams of fresh shoots contain 4.1 grams of protein, 5.7 grams of sugar, 22 milligrams of calcium, 56 milligrams of phosphorus, and 0.1 milligrams of iron. In addition, they also provide nutrients such as vitamin B1, B2, and vitamin C. Notably, the asparagine contained in winter bamboo shoots has a nourishing effect on the human body.

　　As a major county for Moso bamboo production, Sui Ning has long been abundant in winter bamboo shoots. The county currently has over 700,000 mu of bamboo forests suitable for both shoot and timber production, and every year, tens of thousands of tons of winter bamboo shoots and bamboo shoot products are sold to places such as Shanghai and Guangdong.