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29
bamboo sprouts
are the young soft stems of bamboos belonging
to the order (iramineae. Almost all kinds of bamboos are edible*
but j\Ioso-chiku is noted for its
good
taste. Xext to this are
HacJiikii, HotL'ic/iiku, Madake, etc. These are eaten boiled, or
preserved in salt or dried. The young sprouts are clothed with a
sheath which is taken off after the sprout has grown to full size and
is used f< >r various purposes. Those of Madake and ffachiku are
most extensively used.
125. c. Small bamboo sprouts, Jap. Haimo, Yokotake,
Muchiko ; a young bamboo sprout growing up obliquely from
the end of bamboo roots, resembling the preceding one in shape
and taste. They grow at all seasons of the year, but in autumn.
they are mostly produced. For the sake of propagating the bamboo
wood, it is advisable not to take them out of the ground.
125. d. Young shoots of Phragmites roxburghii,
Kunth, Jap. Yoshigo, Yoshi-dsuno ; the young shoot of this plant
resembles the small sized bamboo sprout and is eaten in the same
way. In China this shoot taken out of the sheath is dried and
preserved with a coating of salt on it, and used for various cooking
purposes.
125. 6. Asparagus lucidus, Lindl., Jap. Tcnmondo ;
tubers growing together about the size of a finger are preserved
in su-ar, or used for various cooking purposes after having been
boiled in water to take away the acidity.
Note. The plai.ts
mentioned in this chapter are some of the
principal kinds which roots are used as vegetables, but there are
many other different varieties produced in different places; for
example in the sweet potato there are many varieties produced in
warm countries such are too numerous to be mentioned in this
limited space. The bamboo sprout though really not a root
y< v.< t
t;,lile is
temporally put in this division.