Pickled bamboo shoots

Pickled bamboo shoots

　　Freshness, rawness, sourness, spiciness, and wild flavors are the hallmarks of Dai cuisine, but what truly sets it apart is its unique use of spices—according to data, China has over 800 species of plant-based spices, with more than 500 found in Yunnan alone. The Dai people have long had the custom of eating pickled bamboo shoots. In the subtropical mountainous regions blanketed with bamboo forests, bamboo shoots are abundant. The Dai people living in this hot climate turn the plentiful bamboo shoots into a pickled seasoning. On one hand, the acidity helps beat the heat, and on the other, it serves as an effective preservation method.

To make them, clean luo han bamboo shoots (also known as sweet bamboo shoots) are sliced into strips, soaked in water, then packed tightly into large jars and sealed. After being left to ferment for about half a month until they turn “stinky” and sour, they’re ready to be used as a seasoning. The Dai use pickled bamboo shoots to cook chicken, fish, snails, vegetables, and virtually any other food—the resulting flavors are fresh, sour, spicy, and crisp, simply indescribable. Almost every Dai household keeps around a hundred pounds of pickled bamboo shoots and can’t go a day without them. For first-timers, most find the unusual taste hard to accept, but after a few tries, many are won over by its strangely addictive aroma hidden within the pungency.