PINILI, Ilocos Norte—When the monsoon rains begin to sweep the Philippine archipelago, many farmers from up north in Ilocos Norte and Cagayan down to the hinterlands of Mindanao share a smile.
As abundant as the rains tumble down from June, soon after summer, bamboo shoots start to be plentiful, traditionally used as vegetable food among them and as well in other Southeast Asian countries.
A cultural quipster says that with bamboos in abundance, Filipinos can truly celebrate life.
Officials from the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development say the demand at present in the world market for bamboo shoots is “increasing because of their nutritional and health benefits.”
The bamboo shoots – “rabong” in the north of the country and “labong” elsewhere, and described as the King of Forest Vegetables in Japan – have been a traditional vegetable in most parts of this archipelago of 105 million.
In China, the bamboo shoots have been considered a forest vegetable too for the past 2,500 years – delicious and rich in nutrients and ranking among the five most popular healthcare foods in the world.
Agriculture sources say modern research suggests the bamboo shoots have several medicinal benefits, from cancer prevention and weight loss to improving appetite and digestion.
It is also low in sugar, and therefore can be used for treating hypertension, hyperlipidemia and hyperglycemia, these sources say.
Japanese scientists recently discovered that bamboo shoots contain anti-cancer agents, and making them a regular part of the diet effectively eliminates the free radicals that can produce dangerous carcinogens.
They add that with the economic development and the improvement of people’s living standards, demand for natural foods, especially organic food, has greatly increased.
For instance, Moso bamboo does not contain toxic substances, and its products are made in strict accordance with the food safety standards, which makes it an ideal resource for natural foods.
Agriculture sources say the main nutrients in bamboo shoots are protein, amino acid, fat, sugar and inorganic salt.
They are rich in protein, containing between 1.49 and 4.04 grams (average 2.65g) per 100g of fresh bamboo shoots. The bamboo protein produces eight essential and two semi-essential amino acids.
Although the fat content is comparatively low (0.26 to 0.94 percent), it is still higher than in many other vegetables, and the shoots contain rich essential fatty acids.
The total sugar content, 2.5 percent on average, is lower than that in other vegetables. The water content is 90 percent or more.
According to PCAARRD, bamboo shoots offer what it calls “promising livelihood opportunities,” and, when mature, “can be extensively grown in a wide range of habitats from lowland to mountain forests in both dry and humid tropics, even on wastelands, swamps, and dry or regularly flooded river banks.”
PCAARRD sources say growing bamboos, which require less effort and capital, can even be an export earner if cultivated and processed on a commercial scale.
They note that in the Philippines, where bamboo architecture can beautify even the posh residential landscape of some upscale subdivision, most of the commercial bamboo species grown primarily for pole production are also being harvested for their edible shoots.
In the Ilocos region, for instance, and even in the Cagayan Valley, the Cordilleras, and the Ilokano-speaking parts of Central Luzon, “rabong” cooked with bamboo mushrooms, garlic bulbs and jute mallow leaves is a perennial delicacy that always flirts with the Ilocano palate.
Officials add bamboos are of notable economic and cultural significance in South Asia, South East Asia and East Asia, being used for building materials, as a food source, and as a versatile raw product.