Bamboo (called ‘baans’ in Hindi, and ‘moongil’ in Tamil) is an ancient plant that grows fast in wet soil in broad sunlight. It is well known to people in Asia and Latin America, where communities use bamboo plants for a variety of purposes. The food scientist and historian K.T. Achaya, in his book A Historical Dictionary of Indian Food, notes that Jain monks and forest exiles used bamboo stems and leaves for food, since ancient times in India.
Rediscovering the virtues of bamboo, an ancient plant
