Bamboo shoots:
Bamboo shoots are the young buds of bamboo roots. The best season for collecting them is between late March and mid-May. The Japanese enjoy eating them cooked alone or finely sliced and cooked with rice, as they give a special feeling of the coming of early summer. Today, bamboo shoots boiled and vacuum-packed are sold year-round.
Bamboo has been loved by the Japanese since ancient times. Bamboo is featured in many stories as an important background element. One of these stories is the famous "Taketori Monogatari," one of the oldest stories, dating from the 9th century. A beautiful princess born out of a bamboo tree is courted by five princes, but she fends them off asking them difficult questions which cannot answer. In the end, the princess returns to the moon.

Raw sea bream sliced and rolled in rice paper
Baked Camembert cheese with okra
Raw sea urchin wrapped in roast beef
Fried fugu (Japanese globefish) with potato salad
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