🍲 Takenoko jiru(Bamboo Shoot Soup)

Takenoko jiru(Bamboo shoot soup) is a miso soup that uses Nemagari bamboo. It is a regional dish eaten in the Hokushin Region and Niigata Prefecture's Joetsu region. Nemagari bamboo is the young shoot of the sasa bamboo called "chimazasa" and is picked in mountainous regions. Because the bamboo shoots can be picked only during the short period at the height of early summer, these bamboo shoots arrive on the market in small quantities and are scarce and difficult to obtain. They are characteristic of regions with heavy snowfall and are said to have a good flavor without too much of a bitter taste. Some regions also use hachiku bamboo shoots. As for Takenoko jiru(Bamboo shoot soup), an indispensable ingredient is canned mackerel in brine. Canned mackerel became popular during the mid-1950s to mid-1960s. It was found to be convenient in ocean-less Nagano Prefecture, and it was formerly an expensive product. Putting mackerel into miso soup is a way of eating that is characteristic of the region. Add oil and flavor to a simple miso soup, and a good taste will develop that is indispensable to a bamboo shoot soup. The dish will be a fully delicious Takenoko jiru(Bamboo shoot soup) with just bamboo shoots and canned mackerel. Sometimes, put in something like onions, carrots, thin deep-fried slices of tofu, tofu, or beaten eggs.