Japanese food

Last update September 6, 2025

Japanese Food - Takenoko -



  

Takenoko

Bamboo Shoot

When the air becomes sweet, and a fragrant breeze caresses your skin, it’s time for that mountain vegetable dubbed “Takenoko“. Literally meaning “bamboo children“, Takenoko are young bamboo plants that have just shot their way through the ground. The upper part of a freshly unearthed shoot can make a nice Sashimi with a Wasabi-spiced soy sauce (except it’s not a real Sashimi since it’s not related to fish). In contrast, the middle part gives a pleasant crunching sensation when cooked as Nimono. When you cook them with Wakame (a type of edible seaweed), it’s specifically called “Waka-take“ by taking the first two syllables from Wakame and Takenoko.

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Takenoko emerging from the ground. 		japanese-food-takenoko-nimono
Crunchy Takenoko cooked in Nimono. 		japanese-food-warabi-nimono
The upper part of Takenoko served like Sashimi.
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Wakatake or Nimono of Takenoko and Wakame. 		japanese-food-takenokogohan
Takenoko-gohan with rice cooked with small pieces of Takenoko.
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Takenoko emerging from the ground.

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Crunchy Takenoko cooked in Nimono.

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The upper part of Takenoko served like Sashimi.

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Takenoko-gohan with rice cooked with small pieces of Takenoko.