India, Dec. 11 -- At the Bombay Natural History Society's quarterly meeting on October 4, 1887, an exhibition displayed the season's fruits and vegetables in Bombay, featuring 175 varieties, many sourced from private gardens.

Dr Kanhoba Ranchhoddas Kirtikar, an army surgeon and amateur botanist, presented a list of vegetables obtained from Crawford Market and briefly described the uses of several items.

He highlighted a rare vegetable from the largely unfamiliar grass family: the tender shoots of bamboo (Bambusa arundinacea), known to Hindus as "vasota," which were prized for making a pickle with sour lime juice and salt.

Freed from the sheaths and hairs, they were cut up into small pieces and eaten in curries. They were also made into...