Taiwan Food Atlas

Bamboo Tube Rice

In the hometown of bamboo, glutinous rice sealed inside a length of makino
📍 Nantou · Zhushan Township · Zhushan Old Street● Collector's Pick · Rice🍽 Indigenous-style · Bamboo-fragrant rice

Bamboo tube rice is a traditional indigenous method of cooking glutinous rice or millet sealed inside a length of bamboo, letting the rice absorb the wood's natural fragrance as it steams. In Zhushan, Nantou — nicknamed the "hometown of bamboo" for its abundant groves — the moment the tube is split open, rice wrapped in a thin bamboo membrane slides out, carrying the scent sealed in during cooking; at Sun Moon Lake's Ita Thao area, indigenous-style restaurants often serve it alongside qili fish and president fish.

Zhushan Township was historically called Linqipu; it was renamed Zhushan ("bamboo mountain") during the Japanese colonial era for its abundant bamboo groves, and remains a major bamboo-producing area in Nantou. Indigenous-style restaurants on Sun Moon Lake's Ita Thao Old Street commonly serve bamboo tube rice alongside qili fish and president fish as signature items — though available sources note the Thao people's own traditional staple is actually "Thao rice," and bamboo tube rice is more closely tied to other Taiwanese indigenous groups' foraging traditions, even as the two are often served side by side.

What is bamboo tube rice?

Bamboo tube rice is a traditional indigenous food. Glutinous rice is packed into a tube cut from makino bamboo, the ends sealed, and the whole thing cooked directly — the rice absorbs the natural fragrance of the bamboo as it cooks. Originally a practical forest food made from whatever was at hand and easy to carry, it later became a signature snack in indigenous settlements and bamboo-producing areas across Taiwan.

In Nantou, bamboo tube rice has two distinct contexts: one is Zhushan — the "hometown of bamboo," abundant in bamboo material, with bamboo tube rice listed as one of the representative snacks on the Zhushan Township Office's Old Street food page; the other is the Thao tribe settlement at Sun Moon Lake, where bamboo tube rice sits within the tradition of indigenous-style cuisine. The same length of bamboo connects two different faces of Nantou — the bamboo industry and indigenous culture.

How to eat it the authentic way

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Split and eat while hotBamboo tube rice is best eaten straight out of the steamer. The bamboo fragrance is most intense the moment the tube is split while hot, and the rice is at its stickiest and most satisfying. Both aroma and texture fade as it cools.
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Savour the bamboo membrane layerThe layer of glutinous rice pressed against the inner wall of the bamboo tube is the most flavourful part. Don't scrape it off in a hurry — that inner layer is what separates bamboo tube rice from ordinary sticky rice.
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Work it into a Zhushan Old Street food walkAdd bamboo tube rice to a food route through Zhushan Old Street. Paired with other local bamboo-based snacks along the way, you'll get a real feel for the atmosphere of the "hometown of bamboo."
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Pair with an indigenous-style meal up at the lakeIf you're heading to the Thao tribe settlement at Sun Moon Lake, bamboo tube rice is usually part of an indigenous-style spread — eaten alongside mountain vegetables and wild-flavour dishes, the full picture comes together at the table.

Local knowledge

Verified facts (sponsored content excluded)

  • Bamboo tube rice is a traditional indigenous food made by filling makino bamboo tubes with glutinous rice and cooking them.
  • The Zhushan Township Office's Old Street food page lists bamboo tube rice as one of the local representative snacks.
  • Nantou has two distinct contexts for bamboo tube rice: Zhushan is known for bamboo-material snacks, while the Thao tribe settlement at Sun Moon Lake carries the tradition of indigenous-style cuisine.

Visitor tips

  • Bamboo tube rice is usually steamed to order. Eat it on the spot while hot — the bamboo fragrance dissipates quickly if you take it away.
  • Zhushan Old Street and Sun Moon Lake are on separate routes. Plan for one or the other based on your itinerary — no need to squeeze both into one day.

Information compiled from the Nantou County Government tourism resources and local township farmers' associations. Sponsored content has been excluded. Photos will be replaced after on-site photography.

Frequently Asked Questions

How is bamboo tube rice made?

Bamboo tube rice is made by packing glutinous rice or millet into a makino bamboo tube, sealing it, and cooking it directly inside the tube so the rice absorbs the bamboo's natural fragrance.

Why is Zhushan called the "hometown of bamboo"?

Zhushan's hillsides are rich in bamboo groves; the area was renamed from Linqipu to Zhushan during the Japanese colonial era and has long been a major bamboo-producing center in Nantou.

Is bamboo tube rice actually a traditional Thao staple?

Not exactly — available sources indicate the Thao people's own traditional staple is "Thao rice." Bamboo tube rice appears on Sun Moon Lake indigenous-style menus but is more commonly associated with other Taiwanese indigenous groups' foraging traditions.

Sources

🗺️ View on the map ← All Nantou dishes