🍱 Takenoko-misoni (bamboo shoots boiled in miso)

Bamboo shoots simmered in miso with the "umami" of Kombu (kelp) is one of the dishes that remind us of the arrival of spring. Within the prefecture, there is a famous production area called "Takenoko no Sato", one of which is the Kurokawa area in Imizu City. It started about 150 years ago when it was harvested in the bamboo bushes around private houses. Today, Mouso bamboo groves dot the town, and fresh bamboo shoots, freshly dug, line the farm stands when the season starts. Because the soil in the bamboo groves is black, the bamboo shoots have a distinctive bittersweet flavor. Another production area is the Nishida district of Takaoka City. Bamboo shoots here are grown in clay soil, which makes them soft and chewy with little bitterness. The reason why bamboo shoots have taken root in this area is that many Mouso bamboo grew on the slopes of Kokutaiji Temple, the main temple of the Kokutaiji sect of Rinzai Zen Buddhism, and visitors to the temple were treated with bamboo shoot dishes. Today, there are several restaurants specializing in bamboo shoots in the town, and the "bamboo shoots boiled in miso" made in this area is characterized by thick slices of bamboo shoots.