🍲 Takenoko sanshouni(simmered bamboo shoots with Japanese pepper)

The Shimada area was mostly surrounded by mountains and could not produce enough rice. A man named Ichirobe Yasumatsu, who was aware of this environment, cultivated the mountains and forests in 1846 (Koka 3). He moved the moso bamboo from Kiyomizu Temple in the town and began to increase the number of mother bamboos. The red clay soil encouraged the growth of Ichirobei's bamboo shoots, which grew quickly. Bamboo shoot cultivation spread to neighboring farmers, and soon "Shimada bamboo shoots" established an unshakeable position as a specialty product. Shimada bamboo shoots have fine fibers and soft flesh. The secret lies in the soil. Bamboo shoots grown in hard soil are tough, but those grown in the soil of the Shimada area, which has been cultivated by our ancestors, are soft. Shimada bamboo shoots grow deep in the ground. Traditionally, a pickaxe is used to dig bamboo shoots, but Shimada bamboo shoots are dug using a metal rod more than 1 meter long. Around 1975 (late 1970), 700 to 800 tons of bamboo shoots were harvested per season, but due to a lack of successors among farmers, the amount has decreased to a few dozen tons. Nevertheless, the popularity of bamboo shoots has not waned, and they are supplied both inside and outside of the prefecture. Local people are also familiar with bamboo shoots. Various dishes such as "bamboo shoot sansho nimono" (bamboo shoot simmered with Japanese pepper), "bamboo shoot rice," and stir-fried bamboo shoots are served on the dinner table.