Bamboo chicken is a traditional dish of the Toto tribe, showcasing their unique culinary heritage and resourcefulness. Chicken is cooked in bamboo tubes, giving a distinct taste and aroma. The Toto people feel a strong bond with the environment, and being that bamboo grows abundantly in their surroundings, it makes for a good vessel to cook in. Bamboo chicken creates a window through which this cooking style can be showcased; bamboo chicken also highlights the cultural practices of the community and the use of natural resources for food.

Some of the key ingredients for bamboo chicken are usually fresh chicken marinated using the local spices, herbs, and seasonings. The flavour enhancement would usually be by ginger, garlic, turmeric, and green chilies, among others. The chicken would often be combined with certain vegetables such as mushrooms or some wild greens that are gathered from the surrounding forest. The bamboo tubes act not just as cooking vessels but as flavour infusing vessels, with which the ingredients are smoothly melded to create an extraordinary and fragrant delight admired by the Toto tribe.

To prepare bamboo chicken, the fresh chicken is first marinated with a mixture of spices and herbs to infuse flavour. Post marination, the chicken is put inside hollow bamboo tubes along with any other vegetables or herbs. The bamboo is sealed with leaves or sometimes any other natural materials and kept on an open burning fire or hot embers. The process of cooking would steam the chicken inside the bamboo, thus making it tender and full of flavour, which absorb also the scent of bamboo itself.

Bamboo chicken occupies a unique place in Toto culture; it is generally made during community feasts and festive gatherings. In such events, important occasions are celebrated, such as harvest, marriage, or a cultural rite, thus renewing community social relationships.The process of making and sharing bamboo chicken is a means by which they recognize tradition, foster community spirit, and show gratitude for the countless gifts of nature. In its entirety, this dish tells the Toto people's story of unity, hospitality, and respect for the environment.

Harvested bamboo cooking, pigeon chicken or rather chicken-a-la-bamboo, presents the main essence of bamboo chicken. The bamboo, during cooking, lends a faint smoky aroma to the chicken that cannot be attained by conventional methods. And with wild herbs collected from the forests at the time of the year and other foraged ingredients, it reveals the extensive knowledge that the Toto tribe has of their local ecosystem. This method of cuisine, therefore, is a reflection of their sustainable practices and ties to the land, thus offering a dual sensory experience.