Early Spring Bamboo Shoots from Deqing

Early Spring Bamboo Shoots from Deqing

Early Spring Bamboo Shoots from Deqing are a protected geographical indication product.

Early Spring Bamboo Shoots from Deqing are a certified geographical indication trademark.

　　　Early Spring Bamboo Shoots from Deqing are delicious and highly nutritious, primarily composed of five key components: protein, fat, carbohydrates, water, and mineral elements and vitamins. According to analyses by relevant institutions, every 100 grams of fresh shoots contains 3.26 grams of crude protein and 0.2 grams of fat, making it a high-protein, low-fat food. The proteins in early spring bamboo shoots consist of 17 types of amino acids, totaling 195 milligrams, including 637 milligrams of essential amino acids such as histidine, phenylalanine, lysine, and tyrosine. The quality of the protein in these shoots is also notably high; calculations based on chemical score values indicate that the methionine content in their protein is the highest among all bamboo shoots, reaching 40% of that found in eggs.

　　　　Product Name: Early Spring Bamboo Shoots

　　　　Product Origin: Anji, Huzhou, Zhejiang

　　　　Product Season: Around springtime

　　　　Product Characteristics: Tender texture, white and delicate color, crisp and delicious, highly nutritious.

　　　　Product Components: Contains not only protein, carbohydrates, fat, vitamin B1, B2, and vitamin C, but also essential trace elements such as calcium, phosphorus, zinc, and iron.

　　　　Product Benefits: From a Traditional Chinese Medicine perspective, early spring bamboo shoots are cool in nature and sweet in flavor, offering benefits such as clearing heat and detoxifying, eliminating dampness and resolving phlegm, nourishing yin and quenching thirst, harmonizing the stomach, and moistening the intestines. Being cool in nature, they are believed to dispel heat and cure ailments, and eating them may help prevent colon cancer and aid in weight loss.

　　Product Introduction: Early Spring Bamboo Shoots are produced by early spring bamboo and are a very famous local specialty of Deqing County. Winter bamboo shoots are large, thick, relatively short, and have a fuzzy surface. In contrast, early spring bamboo shoots are very smooth, and their shells have an attractive appearance.

　　The protein quality of early spring bamboo shoots is also notably high; calculations based on chemical score values indicate that the methionine content in their protein is the highest among all bamboo shoots, reaching 40% of that found in eggs. Early spring bamboo shoots are tender, delicious, and crisp — a beloved traditional delicacy in China. They can be stir-fried, braised, stewed, boiled, used in cold dishes, made into soup stock, or cooked with other ingredients to enhance the overall flavor. They are often praised with the saying “No feast is complete without bamboo shoots.” Currently, the area planted with early spring bamboo in Anji County has expanded to 20,000 mu (approximately 1,333 hectares), with 2,500 mu using winter mulching techniques to advance shoot emergence. The annual production can reach 7,000 tons, with an output value of 60 million yuan. These shoots are mainly sold to major cities such as Shanghai, Jiangsu, and Nanjing.

　　　　Product History: “Purple husk peeled to reveal brocade, white flesh split open like new jade. Each day I eat more, and for days I do not crave meat.” The great Tang Dynasty poet Bai Juyi could not help but write a poem praising the rich, white, tender, and fragrant taste of fresh bamboo shoots. Ancient people admired bamboo shoots for their tenderness, crispness, and freshness.

　　　　Product Story: During the Three Kingdoms period, Meng Zhong (?–271), courtesy name Gongwu, was from Jiangxia in the state of Wu (today’s E’cheng County, Hubei Province). He served as the Marshall of the Wu Pool, Prefect of Yuzhang, and eventually rose to the rank of Minister of Works. Meng Zhong was a renowned filial son. His mother was also a virtuous woman. One winter, Meng’s mother fell ill and lay in bed, mentioning how delicious bamboo shoots tasted and lamenting that she couldn’t have any. Meng Zhong, who was deeply devoted to his mother and always tried his best to fulfill her wishes, took up a hoe and went to the bamboo grove to find some shoots. He searched everywhere but couldn't find any in the snowy landscape. Unable to fulfill his duty as a filial son, he began to cry. As his tears melted a patch of snow, a small shoot tip emerged from the ground. Overjoyed, he quickly dug away the snow and soil, unearthed the shoot, and took it home to make a soup for his mother. This is the legendary origin of winter bamboo shoots. Later, the terms “filial bamboo shoots” and “tearful bamboo shoots” became synonymous with praise for devoted sons.

　　The protected geographical indication range for Early Spring Bamboo Shoots from Deqing is defined according to the report titled “Report on Defining the Protected Geographical Indication Range for Early Spring Bamboo Shoots from Deqing” (Dezheng [2006] No. 32) issued by Deqing County, Zhejiang Province, covering the entire current administrative region of Deqing County, Zhejiang Province.