[3] The diet of giant pandas and red pandas is largely made up of raw bamboo; the animals' body tissue is not well able to detoxify cyanide, but their gut microbiomes are significantly enriched in putative genes coding for enzymes related to cyanide degradation, suggesting that they have cyanide-digesting gut microbes.

[12] In certain parts of Japan, China, and Taiwan, shoots from the giant timber bamboo Bambusa oldhamii are harvested in spring or early summer.

Young shoots from this species are highly sought-after due to their crisp texture and sweet taste.

[13] Older shoots, however, have an acrid flavor and should be sliced thin and boiled in a large volume of water several times.

In China, luosifen river snail noodles, a popular dish from Guangxi, get their famously pungent smell from pickled bamboo shoots.

Tama is commonly sold in local markets during the months of June to September when young bamboo shoots sprout.

Fermented bamboo shoot, called khorisa, is a widely used ingredient in Assamese recipes for meats such as pork, chicken, duck and squab or pigeon.

Fermentation increases the nutritional value of bamboo shoots by making some nutrients more bioavailable and degrading toxins.

[15] In Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Northern Tamilnadu, the bamboo shoots are used as a special dish during the monsoons (due to seasonal availability).

[citation needed] In the Diyun region of Arunachal Pradesh, the Chakma people call them bashchuri.

[16] In the western part of Odisha, India, they are known as karadi and are used in traditional curries such as Ambila, pithou bhaja and pickle.

In monsoon, it can be abundantly found in Bamboo forest of Karlapat wildlife sanctuary and mostly prepared in homes using mustard paste.

[citation needed] In Nagaland, India, bamboo shoots are both cooked and eaten as a fresh food item or fermented for a variety of culinary uses.

Cooking pork with a generous portion of fermented bamboo shoot is very popular in Naga cuisine.

In Chittagong Hill Tracts, Bangladesh, bamboo shoots are a traditional food of the indigenous Jumma people.

[10] In Filipino cuisine, the shoots are commonly called labóng (other names include rabong, dabong, or tambo).

It can be used in stir-fries, soups such as tom kha kai, curries such as kaeng tai pla, as well as in salads such as sup no-mai.

[27] In Indonesia, they are sliced thinly to be boiled with coconut milk and spices to make gulai rebung.

[30][29] One is on a mountain south of Mizan Teferi, the other is on the higher elevations near Maasha, between the cities of Tepi and Gore.