Menma is a staple topping on ramen, Japanese soup dish with noodles. It is also an ingredient often found in stew, salad, stir-fry dishes, tempura and etc.

　　Bamboo shoots are called “take-no-ko” in Japanese, which literally means “child of bamboo”. They are originally grown in subtropical climate.

　　The raw material of menma is Bamboo shoots called “masun” in China. In Japan, masun is known as ”machiku”. We originally used machiku grown in Chiayi County and Nantou County in Taiwan to produce menma. Now the machiku that we use for production are primarily produced in China.

　　Machiku’s season of harvest is from the end of June to September. When machiku have grown to about one meter tall, they are harvested and peeled. The top parts and the nodes are then cut off. They will then be steamed, fermented and dried for several days so that they become ready for preservation.