Editing Bamboo (section)

== Uses ==

===Culinary===
[[File:TakenokoBambooSprouts.jpg|thumb|Unprocessed bamboo shoots in a Japanese market]]
[[File:Bamboo tea.jpg|thumb|Korean bamboo tea]]
The shoots of most species are edible either raw or cooked, with the tough sheath removed. Cooking removes the slight bitterness.<ref name="Skyhorse Publishing-2009">{{Cite book |title=The Complete Guide to Edible Wild Plants / Department of the Army |publisher=[[Skyhorse Publishing]] |year=2009 |isbn=978-1-60239-692-0 |location=New York |pages=24 |oclc=277203364}}</ref> The shoots are used in numerous Asian dishes and broths, and are available in supermarkets in various sliced forms, in both fresh and canned versions.{{citation needed|date=June 2024}}

The bamboo shoot in its fermented state forms an important ingredient in cuisines across the Himalayas. In [[Assam]], India, for example, it is called ''khorisa''.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-07-18|title=Bamboo Shoots – Khorisa|website=FarmToRasoi|url=https://www.farmtorasoi.com/bamboo-shoots/|access-date=2021-12-17|archive-date=17 December 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211217143632/https://www.farmtorasoi.com/bamboo-shoots/|url-status=dead}}</ref> In [[Nepal]], a delicacy popular across ethnic boundaries consists of bamboo shoots fermented with [[turmeric]] and oil, and cooked with potatoes into a dish that usually accompanies rice ({{transliteration|ne|alu tama}}<ref>{{Cite web|title=Alu tama {{!}} Traditional Soup From Nepal |website=TasteAtlas |url=https://www.tasteatlas.com/alu-tama |access-date=2021-12-17}}</ref> ({{lang|ne|आलु तामा}}) in [[Nepali language|Nepali]]).

In [[Indonesia]], they are sliced thin and then boiled with ''santan'' (thick coconut milk) and spices to make a dish called ''gulai rebung''. Other recipes using bamboo shoots are ''[[sayur lodeh]]'' (mixed vegetables in coconut milk) and ''lun pia'' (sometimes written ''[[lumpia]]'': fried wrapped bamboo shoots with vegetables). The shoots of some species contain toxins that need to be leached or boiled out before they can be eaten safely.<ref>{{cite web |title=Bamboo related questions Are all bamboo shoots edible? |url=https://www.bambooland.com.au/faqs/are-all-bamboo-shoots-edible/ |website=Bamboo Land |access-date=16 April 2025 |language=en}}</ref>

Pickled bamboo, used as a condiment, may also be made from the [[pith]] of the young shoots.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Nongdam |first1=P. |last2=Tikendra |first2=Leimapokpam |title=The Nutritional Facts of Bamboo Shoots and Their Usage as Important Traditional Foods of Northeast India |journal=International Scholarly Research Notices |pages=679073 |doi=10.1155/2014/679073 |date=2014|doi-access=free |pmid=27433496 |pmc=4897250 }}</ref>

The sap of young stalks tapped during the rainy season may be [[fermentation (wine)|fermented]] to make ''ulanzi'' (a sweet wine)<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ulanzi (Bamboo Wine)|website=elkinvanaeon.net |url=http://elkinvanaeon.net/Alchemy/Brewed_Beverages/ulanzi_bamboo-wine.htm |access-date=2021-12-17}}</ref> or made into a soft drink.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hallgren |first=Steve |date=2018-07-22 |title=Ulanzi: The Miracle Drink of Tanzania |website=Teaching High School Biology in Tanzania: A Peace Corps Volunteer Experience |url=https://hellofrompeacecorpstanzania.wordpress.com/category/mufindi-highlands-in-iringa-region/ulanzi-the-miracle-drink-of-tanzania/ |access-date=2021-12-17}}</ref> Bamboo leaves are also used as wrappers for steamed [[zongzi|dumplings]] which usually contains glutinous rice and other ingredients, such as the [[zongzi]] from China.{{citation needed|date=June 2024}}

[[File:Khao lam87.jpg|thumb|upright|left|''Khao lam'' ({{langx|th|ข้าวหลาม}}) is [[glutinous rice]] with sugar and coconut cream cooked in specially prepared bamboo sections of different diameters and lengths]]
Pickled bamboo shoots ({{langx|ne|तामा|link=no}} {{transliteration|ne|tama}}) are cooked with black-eyed beans as a delicacy in Nepal. Many Nepalese restaurants around the world serve this dish as ''aloo bodi tama''. Fresh bamboo shoots are sliced and pickled with mustard seeds and turmeric and kept in glass jar in direct sunlight for the best taste. It is used alongside many dried beans in cooking during winters. Baby shoots ([[Nepali language|Nepali]]: ''tusa'') of a very different variety of bamboo ({{langx|ne|निगालो|link=no}} {{transliteration|ne|Nigalo}}) native to Nepal is cooked as a curry in hilly regions.{{citation needed|date=June 2024}}

In [[Sambalpur]], India, the tender shoots are grated into [[julienning|juliennes]] and [[fermentation (food)|fermented]] to prepare ''kardi''. The name is derived from the Sanskrit word for bamboo shoot, ''karira''. This fermented bamboo shoot is used in various culinary preparations, notably ''amil'', a sour vegetable soup. It is also made into pancakes using [[rice flour]] as a binding agent.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Kardi bhaja / Bamboo shoot cutlets Recipe by Sona Senapati|url=https://cookpad.com/uk/recipes/15265917-kardi-bhaja-bamboo-shoot-cutlets|access-date=2021-12-17|website=Cookpad|date=14 July 2021 |language=en}}</ref> The shoots that have turned a little fibrous are fermented, dried, and ground to sand-sized particles to prepare a garnish known as ''hendua''. It is also cooked with tender pumpkin leaves to make sag green leaves.

In [[Konkani people|Konkani]] cuisine, the tender shoots (''kirlu'') are grated and cooked with crushed jackfruit seeds to prepare ''kirla sukke''.

[[File:Tukir (a way of cooking using bamboo as recipient to cook in the fire).jpg|thumb|In [[East Timor]], cooking food in bamboo is called ''tukir''.]]
In southern India and some regions of southwest China, the seeds of the dying bamboo plant are consumed as a grain known as "bamboo rice". The taste of cooked bamboo seeds is reported to be similar to wheat and the appearance similar to rice, but bamboo seeds have been found to have lower nutrient levels than both.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Yang|first=Wang Ting|date=September 2021|title=Qualitative and quantitative characterization of nutrient content and morphology in seeds of bamboo, rice, and wheat|url=https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcs.2021.103273|journal=Journal of Cereal Science|volume=101|page=103273|doi=10.1016/j.jcs.2021.103273|via=Elsevier Science Direct}}</ref> The seeds can be pulverized into a flour with which to make cakes.<ref name="Skyhorse Publishing-2009" />

The Indian state of [[Sikkim]] has promoted bamboo water bottles to keep the state free from plastic bottles<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.indiatimes.com/news/india/in-fight-againt-plastic-pollution-sikkim-introduces-bamboo-water-bottles-for-tourists-507454.html|title=In Fight Against Plastic Pollution, Sikkim Introduces Bamboo Water Bottles For Tourists|date=2020-03-01|website=indiatimes.com|language=en|access-date=2020-03-04}}</ref>

The empty hollow in the stalks of larger bamboo is often used to cook food in many Asian cultures. Soups are boiled and rice is cooked in the hollows of fresh stalks of bamboo directly over a flame. Similarly, steamed tea is sometimes rammed into bamboo hollows to produce [[compressed tea|compressed forms]] of [[pu'er tea]]. Cooking food in bamboo is said to give the food a subtle but distinctive taste.{{citation needed|date=June 2024}}

===Fuel===
{{excerpt|Bamboo charcoal}}

=== Working ===
{{Excerpt|bambooworking}}

==== Writing surface ====
{{Further|Bamboo and wooden slips}}
Bamboo was in widespread use in early China as a medium for written documents. The earliest surviving examples of such documents, written in ink on string-bound bundles of bamboo strips (or "slips"), date from the fifth century BC during the [[Warring States period]]. References in earlier texts surviving on other media indicate some precursor of these Warring States period bamboo slips was used as early as the late [[Shang]] period (from about 1250 BC).{{citation needed|date=June 2024}}

Bamboo or wooden strips were used as the standard writing material during the early [[Han dynasty]], and excavated examples have been found in abundance.<ref>{{cite book |last=Loewe |first=Michael |title=New Sources of Early Chinese History |publisher=Society for the Study of Early China |year=1997 |isbn=978-1-55729-058-8 |editor=Edward L. Shaughnessy |pages=161–192 |chapter=Wood and bamboo administrative documents of the Han period}}</ref> Subsequently, [[History of paper|paper]] began to displace bamboo and wooden strips from mainstream uses, and by the fourth century AD, bamboo slips had been largely abandoned as a medium for writing in China.

Bamboo fiber has been used to make paper in China since early times. A high-quality, handmade bamboo paper is still produced in small quantities. Coarse bamboo paper is still used to make [[Joss paper|spirit money]] in many Chinese communities.<ref name="spiritpaper">{{cite journal |last1=Perdue |first1=Robert E. |last2=Kraebel |first2=Charles J. |author3=Tao Kiang |date=April 1961 |title=Bamboo Mechanical Pulp for Manufacture of Chinese Ceremonial Paper |journal=Economic Botany |volume=15 |issue=2 |pages=161–164 |doi=10.1007/BF02904089 |bibcode=1961EcBot..15..161P |s2cid=9556185}}</ref>

Bamboo [[pulp (paper)|pulps]] are mainly produced in China, [[Myanmar]], Thailand, and India, and are used in [[printing and writing paper]]s.<ref name="Market pulp">{{cite book |last=Nanko |first=Hirko |title=The World of Market Pulp |author2=Button, Allan |author3=Hillman, Dave |publisher=WOMP, LLC |year=2005 |isbn=978-0-615-13013-2 |location=Appleton, WI, US |page=256}}</ref> Several paper industries are surviving on [[bamboo forests]]. Ballarpur (Chandrapur, Maharstra) paper mills use bamboo for paper production. The most common bamboo species used for paper are ''[[Dendrocalamus asper]]'' and ''[[Bambusa blumeana]]''. It is also possible to make [[dissolving pulp]] from bamboo. The average fiber length is similar to [[hardwoods]], but the properties of bamboo pulp are closer to [[softwood]] pulps due to it having a very broad fiber length distribution.<ref name="Market pulp" /> With the help of molecular tools, it is now possible to distinguish the superior fiber-yielding species/varieties even at juvenile stages of their growth, which can help in unadulterated merchandise production.<ref>{{cite book |last=Bhattacharya |first=S. |title=Tropical Bamboo: Molecular profiling and genetic diversity study |publisher=Lambert Academic Publishing |year=2010 |isbn=978-3-8383-7422-2}}</ref>

In Central India, there are regular bamboo working circles in forest areas of Maharashtra, Madhyapradesh, Odisha and Chhattisgarh. Most of the bamboo is harvested for [[papermaking]]. Bamboo is cut after three years of its germination. No cutting is done during the rainy season (July–September); broken and malformed culms are harvested first.<ref name="Working Plan">{{cite book |last1=Shrivastav |first1=S.S. |url=https://mahaforest.gov.in/managementpdf/1440739682Chandrapur%20Vol-I.pdf.pdf |title=Working Plan for Chandrapur Forest Division |date=3 December 2002 |publisher=Govt. of Maharashtra |location=Nagpur |access-date=23 December 2020}}</ref>

==== Writing pen ====
{{Main|Reed pen}}

In olden times, people in India used hand-made pens (known as Kalam or boru (बोरू)) made from thin bamboo sticks (with diameters of 5–10&nbsp;mm and lengths of 100–150&nbsp;mm) by simply peeling them on one side and making a nib-like pattern at the end. The pen would then be dipped in ink for writing.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Sengupta|first=Rajarshi|date=2019-01-02|title=An Artisanal History of Kalam?|url=https://doi.org/10.1080/20511787.2019.1580437|journal=Journal of Textile Design Research and Practice|volume=7|issue=1|pages=25–37|doi=10.1080/20511787.2019.1580437|s2cid=190517335|issn=2051-1787}}</ref>

==== Textiles ====

Since the fibers of bamboo are very short (less than {{convert|3|mm|in|frac=32|abbr=on|disp=or}}), they are not usually transformed into yarn by a natural process. The usual process by which textiles labeled as being made of bamboo are produced uses only [[rayon]] made from the fibers with heavy employment of chemicals. To accomplish this, the fibers are broken down with chemicals and extruded through mechanical spinnerets; the chemicals include [[lye]], [[carbon disulfide]], and strong acids.<ref name="Scientific American">{{cite journal |author=Michelle Nijhuis |date=June 2009 |title=Bamboo Boom: Is This Material for You? |journal=Scientific American Earth 3.0 Special |volume=19 |issue=2 |pages=60–65 |doi=10.1038/scientificamericanearth0609-60|doi-broken-date=1 November 2024 |url=https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/bamboo-boom/ }}</ref> Retailers have sold both end products as "bamboo fabric" to cash in on bamboo's current ecofriendly cachet. The Canadian [[Competition Bureau]]<ref name="ccb">{{cite news |date=27 January 2010 |title=\"Competition Bureau Takes Action to Ensure Accuracy for Textile Articles Labelled and Advertised as Bamboo\" |publisher=Competition Bureau Canada |url=http://www.competitionbureau.gc.ca/eic/site/cb-bc.nsf/eng/03193.html |access-date=1 July 2018}}</ref> and the US [[Federal Trade Commission]],<ref name="FTC">{{cite news |date=11 August 2009 |title=Four Companies Charged with Labeling Rayon Clothing As Bamboo |publisher=GreenBiz.com |url=http://www.greenbiz.com/news/2009/08/11/companies-label-rayon-clothing-bamboo |url-status=dead |access-date=12 August 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090813084741/http://www.greenbiz.com/news/2009/08/11/companies-label-rayon-clothing-bamboo |archive-date=13 August 2009}}</ref> as of mid-2009, are cracking down on the practice of labeling bamboo rayon as natural bamboo fabric. Under the guidelines of both agencies, these products must be labeled as rayon with the optional qualifier "from bamboo".<ref name="FTC" />

===== Fabric =====
{{excerpt|Bamboo textile}}

==== Construction ====
{{further|Bamboo construction}}
Bamboo, like true [[wood]], is a natural [[building material]] with a high strength-to-weight ratio useful for structures.<ref name="Lakkad">{{cite journal |title=Mechanical properties of bamboo, a natural composite |last1=Lakkad |last2=Patel |journal=Fibre Science and Technology |volume=14 |issue=4 |date=June 1981 |pages=319–322 |doi=10.1016/0015-0568(81)90023-3}}</ref> In its natural form, bamboo as a construction material is traditionally associated with the cultures of South Asia, East Asia, and the South Pacific, to some extent in Central and South America, particularly in Colombia and Ecuador,<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Cabrera-Andrade |first=César Andrés |last2=Jaramillo-Benavides |first2=Andrea Salomé |date=2024-12-13 |title=Optimización constructiva de paneles de bambú para vivienda: estudio comparativo de casos |url=https://www.camjol.info/index.php/arquitectura/article/view/19062 |journal=Revista Arquitectura + |language=es |volume=9 |issue=18 |pages=103–117 |doi=10.5377/arquitectura.v9i18.19062 |issn=2518-2943|doi-access=free }}</ref> and by extension in the aesthetic of [[Tiki culture]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dao |first=Thomas |title=Historical Uses of Bamboo: From Ancient Times to Modern Day |url=https://vanglung.com/historical-uses-of-bamboo-from-ancient-times-to-modern-day/ |access-date=2025-02-14 |website=Vang Lung Rattan |language=en}}</ref>

In China and India, bamboo was used to hold up [[simple suspension bridge]]s, either by making cables of split bamboo or twisting whole culms of sufficiently pliable bamboo together. One such bridge in the area of Qian-Xian is referenced in writings dating back to 960 AD and may have stood since as far back as the third century BC, due largely to continuous maintenance.{{citation needed|date=January 2018}}<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Maheshwari |first=Rohit |date=2019 |title=Comparison of bonding behaviour of bamboo reinforcement in concrete beam using bonding material |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/357932584 |journal=International Journal of Engineering Science and Computing |volume=9 |issue=5 |pages=21937 |via=Research Gate}}</ref>

[[File:Usage of Bamboo.JPG|thumb|right|Bamboo has long been used as an assembly material in [[Hong Kong]] because of its versatility]]
Bamboo has also long been used as scaffolding; the practice has been banned in China for buildings over six stories, but is still in continuous use for skyscrapers in Hong Kong.<ref name="nytimes">{{cite news |first=Mark |last=Landler |title=Hong Kong Journal; For Raising Skyscrapers, Bamboo Does Nicely |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/03/27/world/hong-kong-journal-for-raising-skyscrapers-bamboo-does-nicely.html |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=27 March 2002 |access-date=12 August 2009 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090424015547/http://www.nytimes.com/2002/03/27/world/hong-kong-journal-for-raising-skyscrapers-bamboo-does-nicely.html |archive-date=24 April 2009}}</ref>

[[File:Sangat Resort in Busuanga.jpg|thumb|left|A modern resort guesthouse in [[Palawan]], Philippines, with traditional woven bamboo walls ([[sawali]])]]
In the Philippines, the [[nipa hut]] is a fairly typical example of the most basic sort of [[house|housing]] where bamboo is used; the walls are split and woven bamboo, and bamboo slats and poles may be used as its support.

In [[Japanese architecture]], bamboo is used primarily as a supplemental or decorative element in buildings such as fencing, fountains, grates, and gutters, largely due to the ready abundance of quality timber.<ref name="BambooJapan">{{cite book
|author1=Nancy Moore Bess
|author2=Bibi Wein
|title=Bamboo in Japan
|publisher=Kodansha International
|year=1987
|isbn=978-4-7700-2510-4
|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UukQ2LaaP0wC&pg=PA101
|page=101
}}</ref>

Many ethnic groups in remote areas that have water access in Asia use bamboo that is 3–5 years old to make rafts. They use 8 to 12 poles, {{convert|6|–|7|m|ft|0|abbr=on}} long, laid together side by side to a width of about {{convert|1|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}. Once the poles are lined up together, they cut a hole crosswise through the poles at each end and use a small bamboo pole pushed through that hole like a screw to hold all the long bamboo poles together. Floating houses use whole bamboo stalks tied together in a big bunch to support the house floating in the water.

==== Fishing and aquaculture ====
[[File:Abucay,Bataanjf3721 06.JPG|thumb|Bamboo trays used in [[mussel]] farming ([[Abucay, Bataan]], Philippines)]]
Due to its flexibility, bamboo is also used to make [[fishing rod]]s. The [[split cane rod]] is especially prized for [[fly fishing]].{{citation needed|date=June 2024}}

==== Firecrackers ====
Bamboo has been traditionally used in [[Malaysia]] as a firecracker called a ''meriam buluh'' or [[bamboo cannon]]. Four-foot-long sections of bamboo are cut, and a mixture of water and [[calcium carbide]] are introduced. The resulting acetylene gas is ignited with a stick, producing a loud bang.

==== Weapons ====
Bamboo has often been used to construct weapons and is still incorporated in several Asian martial arts.
* A bamboo staff, sometimes with one end sharpened, is used in the [[Tamils|Tamil]] martial art of ''[[silambam]]'', a word derived from a term meaning "hill bamboo".
* Staves used in the Indian martial art of ''[[gatka]]'' are commonly made from bamboo, a material favored for its light weight.
* A bamboo sword called a ''[[shinai]]'' is used in the Japanese martial art of ''[[kendo]]''.
* Bamboo is used for crafting the bows, called ''[[yumi]]'', and arrows used in the Japanese martial art ''[[kyūdō]]''.
* The first [[gunpowder]]-based weapons, such as the [[fire lance]], were made of bamboo.
* The [[Lang xian|Chinese Langxian]], or "Wolf Brush Spear". Some variants of this weapon were just long bamboo poles with a spearhead that still had layers of leaves attached. The Langxian was mainly used as a defensive weapon in Qi Jiguang's Mandarin Duck Formation.{{Citation needed|date=June 2024}}
* Sharpened bamboo [[javelin]]s weighted with sand known as ''[[bagakay]]'' were used as disposable missile weapons in both [[mangayaw|land and naval warfare]] in the Philippines. They were thrown in groups at a time at enemy ships or massed enemy formations. Non-disposable finely-crafted throwing spears made from bamboo weighted with sand known as ''[[sugob]]'' were also used. ''Sugob'' were mainly used for close-quarters combat and were only thrown when they could be retrieved.<ref name="scott">{{cite book|author=William Henry Scott|title =Barangay. Sixteenth-Century Philippine Culture and Society|publisher =Ateneo de Manila University Press|year =1994|page=[https://archive.org/details/BarangaySixteenthCenturyPhilippineCultureAndSociety/page/n35 63]|isbn =9715501389|url =https://archive.org/details/BarangaySixteenthCenturyPhilippineCultureAndSociety}}</ref><ref name="Wiley">{{cite book |last1=Wiley |first1=Mark V. |title=Filipino Martial Culture |date=2011 |publisher=Tuttle Publishing |isbn=9781462903474}}</ref>
* Metal-tipped [[blowgun]]-spear called [[sumpit]] (or sumpitan), used by various ethnic groups in the islands of the Philippines, [[Borneo]], and [[Sulawesi]], were generally made from hollowed bamboo. They used thick short darts dipped in the concentrated sap of ''[[Antiaris toxicaria]]'' which could cause lethal [[cardiac arrest]].<ref name="Marinas">{{cite book |last1=Marinas |first1=Amante P. Sr. |title=Blowgun Techniques: The Definitive Guide to Modern and Traditional Blowgun Techniques |date=17 April 2012 |publisher=Tuttle Publishing |isbn=9781462905546}}</ref><ref name="Darmadi">{{cite journal |last1=Darmadi |first1=Hamid |title=Sumpit (Blowgun) as Traditional Weapons with Dayak High Protection |journal=Journal of Education, Teaching and Learning |date=30 March 2018 |volume=3 |issue=1 |pages=113 |doi=10.26737/jetl.v3i1.601|doi-access=free }}</ref>
* The simple sharpened bamboo [[spear]], known as '''''bambu runcing''''' ([[Literal translation|literally]] 'sharp bamboo' or 'pointed bamboo'), is a legendary symbol of [[Indonesian Revolutionary War|Indonesian revolutionary]] [[morale|spirit]], embodying the will of the [[Indonesians|Indonesian people]], who were often ill-equipped, to fight for independence against the [[Dutch East Indies|Dutch occupation]] who held [[air supremacy|air-]] and [[naval supremacy]] along with [[Commonwealth realm|Commonwealth]] aid.{{citation needed|date=November 2023}}
* [[Punji stick]]s are stakes of sharpened bamboo typically used in area denial and [[booby traps]]. Punji sticks were widely used in the [[Vietnam War]] by the [[Viet Cong]].

==== Desalination ====
Bamboo can be used in [[Desalination|water desalination]]. A bamboo filter is used to remove the salt from seawater.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.unido.org/index.php?id=1000276 |title=Bamboo: an untapped and amazing resource |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091222230223/http://www.unido.org/index.php?id=1000276 |archive-date=22 December 2009 |publisher=[[UNIDO]] |access-date=30 November 2009}}</ref>{{Dubious|Talk:Bamboo#Desalination|date=May 2014}}

==== Musical instruments ====
{{excerpt|Bamboo musical instruments}}

==== Indicator of climate change ====
The [[Song dynasty]] (960–1279 AD) Chinese scientist and [[polymath]] [[Shen Kuo]] (1031–1095) used the evidence of underground [[petrified]] bamboo found in the dry northern climate of [[Yan'an]], [[Shanbei]] region, [[Shaanxi]] province to support his geological theory of gradual [[Climate variability and change|climate change]].<ref name="chan 15">Chan, Alan Kam-leung and Gregory K. Clancey, Hui-Chieh Loy (2002). Historical Perspectives on East Asian Science, Technology and Medicine. Singapore: Singapore University Press. {{ISBN|9971-69-259-7}}. p. 15.</ref><ref name="needham volume 3 614">Needham, Joseph (1986). ''Science and Civilization in China'': Volume 3, ''Mathematics and the Sciences of the Heavens and the Earth''. Taipei: Caves Books, Ltd. p. 614.</ref>

==== Kitchenware and other usage ====
[[File:Bamboo steamer-side stacked-fs PNr°0729.jpg|thumb|A [[bamboo steamer]], used to cook foods like [[dim sum]]]]
Bamboo is frequently used for cooking utensils within many cultures, and is used in the manufacture of [[chopsticks]] and [[bamboo steamer]]s. In modern times, some see bamboo tools as an eco-friendly alternative to other manufactured utensils. Bamboo is also used to make eating utensils such as chopsticks, trays, and tea scoops. Several manufacturers offer [[bamboo bicycle]]s, surfboards, snowboards, and skateboards.<ref>{{cite web |author=Jen Lukenbill |title=About My Planet: Bamboo Bikes |url=http://www.aboutmyplanet.com/environment/bamboo-bikes/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121025023815/http://www.aboutmyplanet.com/environment/bamboo-bikes/ |archive-date=25 October 2012 |access-date=4 January 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=Teo Kermeliotis |date=31 May 2012 |title=Made in Africa: Bamboo bikes put Zambian business on right track |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2012/05/31/business/bamboo-bicycles-zambia-zambikes/index.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121023013022/http://edition.cnn.com/2012/05/31/business/bamboo-bicycles-zambia-zambikes/index.html |archive-date=23 October 2012 |publisher=CNN}}</ref>

Bamboo has traditionally been used to make a wide range of everyday utensils and [[cutting board#Bamboo|cutting board]]s, particularly in Japan,<ref>Brauen, M. Bamboo in Old Japan: Art and Culture on the Threshold to Modernity. The Hans Sporry Collection in the Ethnographic Museum of Zurich University. Arnoldsche Art Publishers: Stuttgart</ref> where archaeological excavations have uncovered bamboo baskets dating to the Late Jōmon period (2000–1000 BC).<ref>McCallum, T. M. Containing Beauty: Japanese Bamboo Flower Baskets. 1988. Museum of Cultural History, UCLA: Los Angeles</ref> Bamboo also has a long history of use in [[Asian furniture]]. [[Chinese furniture|Chinese bamboo furniture]] is a distinct style based on a millennia-long tradition, and bamboo is also used for [[bamboo floor|floors]] due to its high [[Janka hardness test|hardness]].<ref>{{cite journal |url=https://www.proquest.com/openview/c2fcadb5447b4ff728bef12bdb5e61c2/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=25222 |title=Selected physical properties of commercial bamboo flooring |last1=Lee |first1=Andy W.C. |last2=Liu |first2=Yihai |journal=Forest Products Journal |location=Madison |volume=53 |issue=6 |date=June 2003 |pages=23–26 |access-date=10 May 2017}}</ref>

Additionally, bamboo is used to create bracelets, earrings, necklaces, and other jewelry.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bamboo, Bamboo uses and benefits, Bamboo sustainability |url=https://econation.one/bamboo/ |access-date=2024-05-12 |website=Econation |language=en-US}}</ref>