Use Of Food Plants Research Articles

Traditional Food Plant Knowledge and Use in Three Afro-Descendant Communities in the Colombian Caribbean Coast: Part I Generational Differences

Few studies in Colombia have focused on traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) changes and assessed whether they signified TEK erosion or explored what drives changes. In this study, we researched three Afro-descendant communities’ food plant TEK in the Colombian Caribbean coast. Methods used included a plant recognition exercise undertaken with three generations in families. Respondents were asked how they used a plant, the last time of use, and the reasons for non-consumption (NC) or consumption several years previously (CSYP). Different patterns of recognition and use emerged. Of the 98 species, 28 did not show evidence of intergenerational change. For certain cultivated species, there were marked differences between the percentage of grandparents and children reporting current consumption. Finally, 33 species had low recognition rates by the youngest generation and high levels of NC or CSYP. By analyzing the reasons given for NC or CSYP and the perceptions of participants in interviews and focus groups, we identified TEK erosion for various species (e.g., Anacardium excelsum, Elaeis oleifera, Solanum allophyllum, and Talinum triangulare). However, high NC levels did not always signify declining knowledge or use. Additionally, there appeared to be different dynamics of TEK change in the study sites. En Colombia pocos estudios se han enfocado en los cambios en el conocimiento ecologico ancestral (CEA) para determinar si se evidenciaba erosion del CEA o han explorado cuales factores impulsan los cambios. En este estudio, investigamos el CEA sobre plantas alimenticias de comunidades Afrodescendientes en tres localidades en la costa Caribe colombiana. Se utilizo un ejercicio de reconocimiento de plantas, desarrollado con tres generaciones en familias. Se pregunto a los entrevistados como utilizaban una planta, la ultima fecha de uso y las razones de no consumo (NC) o consumo hace varios anos (CHVA). Desde los datos surgieron diversos patrones de reconocimiento y uso. De las 98 plantas, 28 no mostraron evidencia de cambios intergeneracionales. Para algunas especies cultivadas, habia diferencias marcadas entre el porcentaje de abuelos y de ninos que reportaban consumo actual. Finalmente, 33 especies obtuvieron niveles de reconocimiento muy bajos por la generacion mas joven y altos niveles de NC o CHVA. Analizando las razones por el NC o el CHVA y las percepciones de los participantes en entrevistas y en grupos focales, identificamos erosion del CEA en el caso de varias especies (p.ej. Anacardium excelsum, Elaeis oleifera, Solanum allophyllum y Talinum triangulare). Sin embargo, niveles altos de NC no siempre estaban indicando una reduccion del conocimiento y del uso. Al parecer habia diferentes dinamicas de cambio en el CEA en los sitios de la investigacion.

Knowledge, use, and disuse of unconventional food plants

BackgroundPeople’s diets are usually restricted to a small number of plant species, even in regions with great diversity. We investigated the knowledge of residents in Ribeirão da Ilha, a district of Florianópolis (Santa Catarina, Brazil), about unconventional food plants (UFP). We report the UFP of the region, the parts used, the methods of processing, and the reasons for reduced use or even lack of use.MethodsFrom June 2014 to January 2015, we interviewed 26 long-established residents and made free listings of plant resources in the region. We also did three guided tours, and 24 residents (among the 26) checked pictures of the mentioned plants in order to identify them.ResultsWe identified 63 species distributed in 25 botanical families. Half of the species were mentioned only by one informant. The fruit was the most frequently used part (80% of citations), consumed mainly without processing. Among those species, 27% were used exclusively in the past. The residents attributed non-use to the difficulty in locating the plants and loss of interest in the resource.ConclusionUrbanization and environmental restrictions contribute to the difficulty of access to UFP. Encouraging residents to continue using UFP is necessary to perpetuate this threatened knowledge, promote a more diversified and healthier diet, stimulate a greater interaction among people and nature, and promote on farm conservation of edible plants.

Traditional Plant Knowledge in the White Carpathians: Ethnobotany of Wild Food Plants and Crop Wild Relatives in the Czech Republic

This ethnobotanical study documents wild food plant use in the White Carpathians in the Czech Republic, a bio-culturally preserved mountain range adjacent to the border with Slovakia. Sixty informants from 25 villages were interviewed, and 78 species of wild plant from 30 botanical families were recorded. Crop wild relatives were of high cultural importance, demonstrating their unambiguous role in the traditional food system. Based on cross-cultural comparisons, the highest degree of similarity for species, genera, and uses was found with Ukrainians living in Romania. The greatest number of species was collected in anthropogenic environments; however, species with higher cultural importance occur in forests and meadows. The consumption of Impatiens parviflora seeds, Sambucus nigra green flower buds, and the sucking of Ajuga reptans nectar are novel findings for European ethnobotany. The results reinforce the idea that operating through social memory biocultural refugia safeguard important reservoirs of traditional ecological knowledge.

Non-Polar Natural Products from Bromelia laciniosa, Neoglaziovia variegata and Encholirium spectabile (Bromeliaceae).

Extensive regional droughts are already a major problem on all inhabited continents and severe regional droughts are expected to become an increasing and extended problem in the future. Consequently, extended use of available drought resistant food plants should be encouraged. Bromelia laciniosa, Neoglaziovia variegata and Encholirium spectabile are excellent candidates in that respect because they are established drought resistant edible plants from the semi-arid Caatinga region. From a food safety perspective, increased utilization of these plants would necessitate detailed knowledge about their chemical constituents. However, their chemical compositions have previously not been determined. For the first time, the non-polar constituents of B. laciniosa, N. variegata and E. spectabile have been identified. This is the first thorough report on natural products from N. variegata, E. spectabile, and B. laciniosa. Altogether, 20 non-polar natural products were characterized. The identifications were based on hyphenated gas chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry (GC-HRMS) and supported by 1D and 2D Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) plant metabolomics.

Ethnobotanical survey of wild food plants traditionally collected and consumed in the Middle Agri Valley (Basilicata region, southern Italy)

BackgroundThis research was carried out in a scarcely populated area of the Middle Agri Valley (Basilicata region, southern Italy). The aim of the study was to record local knowledge on the traditional uses of wild food plants, as well as to collect information regarding the practices (gathering, processing and cooking) and the medicinal uses related to these plants.MethodsFifty-eight people still possessing traditional local knowledge (TLK), 74% women and 26% men, were interviewed between May–August 2012 and January 2013, using open and semi-structured ethnobotanical interviews. For each described plant species, the botanical family, the Italian common and folk names, the plant parts used, the culinary preparation and, when present, the medicinal use, were recorded and the relative frequency of citation index (RFC) was determined.ResultsThe 52 plant species mentioned by the respondents belong to 23 botanical families, with Asteraceae (12 plants) and Rosaceae (7 plants) being most frequently cited. The species with the highest RFC index is Cichorium intybus L. (0.95), followed by Sonchus spp. (S. oleraceus L., S. asper L. and S. arvensis L.) (0.76). The plant parts preferably used are leaves (22 plants), fruits (12) and stems (7). Only six wild plants were indicated as having both food use and therapeutic effect.ConclusionsThe survey conducted on the traditional use of wild food plants in the Middle Agri Valley revealed that this cultural heritage is only partially retained by the population. Over the last few decades, this knowledge has been in fact quickly disappearing along with the people and, even in the rural context of the study area, is less and less handed down to younger generations. Nevertheless, data also revealed that the use of wild plants is recently being revaluated in a way closely related to local habits and traditions.

Where are the Brazilian ethnobotanical studies in the Atlantic Forest and Caatinga?

Abstract The Atlantic Forest and Caatinga ecosystems differ in terms of biodiversity and geoclimatic conditions but are similar in their rich socio-diversity and heterogeneity of vegetation types that comprise their floras. The objectives of this work were to map the ethnobotanical studies that have been conducted in these ecosystems and record the most investigated communities, regions, and vegetation formations related to this research. A literature review was made of ethnobotanical articles related to the use and knowledge of medicinal and food plants employed by local populations within the original territories of the Caatinga and Atlantic Forest. The areas with the highest concentrations of studies (Southeast and South regions in the Atlantic Forest and the states of Pernambuco and Paraíba in the Caatinga) reflect the presence of research groups in these regions. Until now, it was thought that ethnobotanical studies had been conducted throughout the Atlantic Forest and Caatinga; however, the results of this work show that both ecosystems contain areas that still need to be studied.

Maculinea rebeli (Hirschke) – a phantom or reality? Novel contribution to a long‐standing debate over the taxonomic status of an enigmatic Lycaenidae butterfly

AbstractThe main goal of our research was to carry out a comprehensive study on the obligatorily myrmecophilous Maculinea alcon (Denis & Schiffermüller) whose taxonomy has remained highly debated despite the fact that Maculinea Van Eecke species are some of the most intensively studied insects in Europe. We aimed to elucidate the relationship between the different forms exploiting different ecological environments with specific regard to ‘Hirschke's rebeli' (M. rebeli (Hirschke)) from the high altitudes of the Styrian Alps which was studied in this respect for the first time. Molecular analyses including multiple gene sequences, microsatellites and allozymes completed with Wolbachia screening, together with geometric morphometry were applied on various sets of samples. Our results showed that ‘rebeli’ from the type locality differed strongly from all other samples not only at the highly variable microsatellites, but also at standard genes and clearly represents a well‐separated unit (potentially subspecies) within M. alcon. As all individuals were infected with a single Wolbachia strain, this is possibly an ancient infection with high maternal transmission rate. It also suggests that the separation of the topotypic populations was probably a relatively recent event which could have been promoted by genetic drift or specific conditions at high altitudes, and maintained by restricted gene flow. Both the genetic and the morphometric studies supported the proposition that the geographical origin of the populations has a higher effect on the structure of variation than the food plant use. Moreover, we detected more genetic lineages than could be defined by differential host plant usage.

Are Borders More Important than Geographical Distance? The Wild Food Ethnobotany of the Boykos and its Overlap with that of the Bukovinian Hutsuls in Western Ukraine

Few ethnobiological studies have thus far addressed the effect of diverse social, economic, and political variables that may influence the dynamics of folk plant knowledge. The aim of this work was to better understand the legacy of plant use in the post-Soviet context—particularly in Western Ukraine—by documenting the use of wild plants for food among Boykos living in Transcarpathia and comparing the findings with the results of a previous study conducted among their close neighbors, Bukovinian Hutsuls, living on the other side of the mountains. We documented the use of 35 taxa belonging to 20 families, mostly represented by Rosaceae species. The most popular taxa were Vaccinium sp. and Carum carvi, while the most popular emic food domain was represented by recreational teas, i.e., teas that are not drunk with the aim to obtain a precise therapeutic activity. The main finding, however, was that the difference between the wild food ethnobotany of the Boykos and Hutsuls was far more restricted than the eth...

The Importance of Edible Landscape in the Cities

The 21st century sustainable city requires the merging of urbanism with sustainable food systems. The challenges industrial food system separates people from their food sources. The design strategies for edible landscape are about re-inviting food back into the city and re-connecting people with their local/regional food system to promote a healthier lifestyle. Edible landscapes are a movement in transition and sprouting up as a response to the slow food movement and living a greener lifestyle. These urban agricultural landscapes are fast becoming iconic media darlings and are demonstrating that they are far more than growing vegetables and fruits on abandoned lots. Edible landscaping is the use of food plants as design features in a landscape. These plants are used both for aesthetic value as well as consumption. Edible landscapes encompass a variety of garden types and scales but do not include food items produced for sale. Edible landscaping is the practical integration of food plants within an ornamental or decorative setting. Using edibles in landscape design can enhance a garden by providing a unique ornamental component with additional health, aesthetic, and economic benefits. In this study; emergence of edible landscape, edible landscape design and maintenance, samples of edible landscape, productive plants, importance of edible landscaping for urban environments have been explained.

The disappearing wild food and medicinal plant knowledge in a few mountain villages of North-Eastern Albania

In recent years, an increasing number of ethnobotanical investigations have focused on the documentation of folk plant knowledge systems in mountainous areas of the Balkans, as this area is considered a very important reservoir of bio-cultural heritage. An ethnobotanical field study was carried out among (Gheg) Albanians living in eight villages of North-Eastern Albania. The field survey was conducted by interviewing 45 local, elderly informants, who retain folk plant knowledge. Sixty-three wild food and medicinal folk taxa and approx. 150 plant reports, as well as other domestic remedies, were recorded and re-present a crucial portion of the local cultural heritage related to traditional food, medicinal, and veterinary practices; approximately one-third of the reports were not previously recorded in Albania or Kosovo. Among these findings, the uncommon, yet abandoned utilizations of wild pears to produce home-made vinegar, unripe wild apples, and grapes as starters/yeasts for baking, and a few unripe wild fruits, as well as beech cambium and Sedum album leaves as yogurt starters deserve further in-depth food technological and nutraceutical investigation. The fact that the most interesting findings are represented by obsolete and past practices and that most of the selected villages were chosen expressly because of their disadvantaged economic conditions and, in a few cases, remarkable geographical isolation, demonstrates that even in remote areas of SE Europe ethnobotanical knowledge is vanishing. Nevertheless, this study supports the idea that territories which are less economically advantaged may retain more ethnobotanical knowledge than other, more “developed” ones. Initiatives aimed at revitalizing traditional practices of wild food and medicinal plant use may be crucial in the study area for implementing rural development programs focusing on local food resources and associated small scale trade.

A knowledge network to promote the use and valorization of wild food plants in the Pantanal and Cerrado, Brazil

The conservation and use of wild food plants should include local people in the decision-making process, and many countries have done so. However, interacting with local communities remains challenging by the lack of adequate methodology. This article aimed to present strategies and results of a university extension program developed in partnership with non-governmental organizations, together with rural communities of the Brazilian region of Cerrado and Pantanal. This was designed to improve the economic condition of these communities while, at the same time, strengthening food security and valorizing biodiversity and local culture. A number of activities were designed to accomplish these goals, including training courses, scientific communications, and workshops in communities such as cooking workshops, training on food handling practices, providing information on the nutritional value of native fruits, and discussing the importance of biodiversity. This translates into a knowledge network/database to broaden understanding about Cerrado and Pantanal biodiversity among the local population and create strategies to use and protect wild food plants.

Seasonal feeding habits of coypu ( Myocastor coypus ) in South Korea

Since their introduction in 1985, coypus ( Myocastor coypus ) have spread widely throughout South Korea and are now considered an invasive species, with negative impacts on both agriculture and native biodiversity. Management of the species began in 2005, and related research has focused on factors influencing population control. Cold weather may cause significant population declines but the basis of that susceptibility has yet to be identified. Therefore, based on the analysis of 28 coypus trapped on Eulsuk Island in theNakdong River over a 12-month period, we sought to: (1) investigate coypu diet and body condition using the relationships between the δ 13 C and δ 15 N stable isotope values of coypu liver and hind-leg muscle tissues, mean temperature, and body condition index (log weight/log body length); (2) clarify the relative use of aquatic and terrestrial food plants, and (3) determine seasonal variations in coypu diet. Carbon and Nitrogen isotope values both differed seasonally and, in winter, between adults and juveniles. Carbon, but not Nitrogen, isotope values were influenced by temperature in the weeks before sampling. The δ 15 N values of liver tissues were influenced by sex and life stage at low temperatures; otherwise, with regard to diet, isotope ratios suggested that coypu primarily fed on aquatic vegetation. Coypus appear to make more use of the heavier nitrogen isotope in hind-leg muscle during winter, presumably associated with muscle tissue metabolism contributing to weight loss. During winter, these higher metabolic requirements together with the decreased availability of aquatic vegetation suggest that baiting near waterways in winter could be an effective method to control invasive coypu populations.

Current and Remembered Past Uses of Wild Food Plants in Saaremaa, Estonia: Changes in the Context of Unlearning Debt

It is widely agreed that in industrialized Europe, knowledge on the use of wild food plants shows a decreasing trend with few instances of valorization. We employed a folk history approach in order to understand the changes that have occurred in the use of wild food plants within the lifetime of the older generation living on Saaremaa Island. Comparing current and remembered past uses and evaluating temporal encounters afforded the understanding that, while the general picture of the use of wild food plants seems diverse and promising (89 plant taxa used, median 20 taxa used per person, Informant Consensus Index of 0.9), only 36% of uses have been practiced throughout life. Another third (34%) of uses existed as a childhood memory, which also encompassed taxa useful during times of food shortage, and 20% of the uses recorded were recently abandoned. The uses of wild food plants acquired later in life, at some point during adulthood (4%) or recently (6%), were few in number, rather temporal in nature and affected by fashion trends. To understand the temporal changes in the use of wild food plants and to identify the reasons causing those changes, it may be important for future researchers to document the exact time of the actual use. To ensure the survival of food security–related knowledge, during times of relative food abundance, it is important to ensure the continuity of the use of wild food plants on the family level by educating children through their participation in making food from wild plants.

Perceived reasons for changes in the use of wild food plants in Saaremaa, Estonia

Recent studies on the use of wild food plants have identified various reasons for their use and underlined their importance as an emergency food supply. This work analysed the content of narratives obtained as comments regarding the reasons for using or not using wild food plants mentioned during 48 semi-structured recorded interviews. The results show that past demand for the diversification of food experiences and taste was essential for the consumption of wild plants, while the present concern for the disappearance of wild food taxa familiar from childhood is one of the main reasons for decrease in their consumption. This indicates that people do not really feel that they need to use wild food plants anymore (except for the health benefits), and that they are concerned that their favourite plants are no longer available. The erosion of the practical use of wild food plants is also supported by the very small frequency in which the influence of teachings coming from outside the community was mentioned in discussions of both the past and present, and thus the loss of traditional uses is not really substituted by new uses acquired from elsewhere. Further research is needed to understand lay perceptions of the changes that have occurred in nature, society and the economy, in the context of their influence on the everyday use of wild food plants to appreciate the ways in which knowledge erosion takes place and to find means of retaining this basic knowledge within the society.

Wild food plants and fungi used in the mycophilous Tibetan community of Zhagana (Tewo County, Gansu, China).

BackgroundThe aim of the study was to investigate knowledge and use of wild food plants and fungi in a highland valley in the Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Region on the north-eastern edges of the Tibetan Plateau.MethodsField research was carried out in four neighbouring villages in a mountain valley of the Diebu (Tewo) county, surrounded by spruce forests. The study consisted of 30 interviews with single informants, or group interviews (altogether 63 informants). Apart from collecting voucher specimens, we also identified fungi using DNA barcoding.ResultsWe recorded the use of 54 species of vascular plants. We also recorded the use of 22 mushroom taxa, which made up the largest category of wild foods. Fruits formed the largest category of food plants, with 21 species, larger than the wild greens category, which consisted of 20 species eaten after boiling or frying and 7 as raw snacks. We also recorded the alimentary use of 10 species of edible flowers and 3 species with underground edible organs. On average, 20.8 edible taxa were listed per interview (median – 21). The most listed category of wild foods was green vegetables (mean – 7.5 species, median – 8 species), but fruits and mushrooms were listed nearly as frequently (mean – 6.3, median – 6 and mean – 5.8, − median 6 respectively). Other category lists were very short, e.g., flowers (mean – 1.3, median – 1) and underground edible parts (mean – 0.7, median – 1).Wild vegetables are usually boiled and/or fried and served as side-dishes, or their green parts are eaten as snacks during mountain treks (e.g., peeled rhubarb shoots). Wild fruits are mainly collected by children and eaten raw, they are not stored for further use. The most widely used wild staple foods are Potetilla anserina roots, an important ceremonial food served on such occasions as New Year or at funerals. They are boiled and served with sugar and butter. The most important famine plants remembered by people are the aerial bulbils of Persicaria vivipara. Flowers are used as children’s snacks – their nectar is sucked.ConclusionsThe number of wild taxa eaten in the studied valley is similar to that of other Tibetan areas. The structure of wild food plant taxa is also very typical for Tibetan speaking areas (e.g., the use of rhubarb shoots, Potentilla anserina, Persicaria vivipara). The studied community show a high level of mycophilia.

The importance of a border: Medical, veterinary, and wild food ethnobotany of the Hutsuls living on the Romanian and Ukrainian sides of Bukovina

Ethnopharmacological relevanceRecent studies have shown that groups sharing the same or very similar environments, but with diverse cultural backgrounds (e.g. different ethnos and/or religion) have considerably different knowledge of folk (medicinal) plant uses. Yet, it is not clear to what extent various factors (such as culture, economy, isolation, and especially social and political situations) contribute to such differences in the utilization of the same natural resources. Aim of the studyThis paper addresses the effect of border created in 1940 and subsequent separation of a single ethnic group on changes in their folk use of medicinal and wild food plants. The Hutsuls of Bukovina had been homogenous for centuries, but were separated in 1940 as a result of the formation of state borders between Romania and the former Soviet Union (now Ukraine). The aim of the study is to analyse if the belonging to this different states for 75 years have induced different changes in local plant use within communities that share a common historical legacy and environment. Materials and methodsIn depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with 42 people in May 2015. Collected data were analysed, and comparisons were made between the data gathered on the two sides of the border for different use categories: medicinal, wild food and veterinary plants, as well as other remedies. Recently collected data were also compared with historical data obtained for the region, medicinal plant folk uses in Romania and medicinal plant uses of The State Pharmacopeia of the Soviet Union. ResultsDivergences in current medicinal plant use are much greater than in the use of wild food plants. The majority of the wild food taxa, including those used for making recreational teas, are also used for medicinal purposes and hence contribute to the food-medicine continuum, representing emergency foods in the past and serving as memory markers for possible future food shortages. Compared with the historical data, considerable changes have occurred within specific medicinal applications and less in the taxa used. The influence of the Soviet State Pharmacopeia on present ethnomedicine on the Ukrainian side is minimal. ConclusionsHutsul herbal ethnomedicine on the Ukrainian side of the border has continued to evolve (the abandonment of some uses and the adoption of others), whereas on the Romanian side it has undergone significant erosion with a proportionally smaller adoption of new uses and the leaving behind of possibly more “traditional” uses than on the Ukrainian side. In sum, current ethnomedicinal practices of Hutsuls living on both sides of the border are more extensive than those reported in historical sources. Yet the unknown sampling method employed to collect the historical data and possible skipping of “ordinary” uses by folklorists and ethnographers does not allow for definitive conclusions to be drawn. Cross-cultural and cross-border ethnobotany represents one of the most powerful means for addressing the issue of change and variability of medicinal plant uses and heritage, and further studies in other areas of Eastern Europe and beyond need to address the trajectory proposed by the present study.

Foodways in transition: food plants, diet and local perceptions of change in a Costa Rican Ngäbe community.

BackgroundIndigenous populations are undergoing rapid ethnobiological, nutritional and socioeconomic transitions while being increasingly integrated into modernizing societies. To better understand the dynamics of these transitions, this article aims to characterize the cultural domain of food plants and analyze its relation with current day diets, and the local perceptions of changes given amongst the Ngäbe people of Southern Conte-Burica, Costa Rica, as production of food plants by its residents is hypothesized to be drastically in recession with an decreased local production in the area and new conservation and development paradigms being implemented.MethodsExtensive freelisting, interviews and workshops were used to collect the data from 72 participants on their knowledge of food plants, their current dietary practices and their perceptions of change in local foodways, while cultural domain analysis, descriptive statistical analyses and development of fundamental explanatory themes were employed to analyze the data.ResultsResults show a food plants domain composed of 140 species, of which 85 % grow in the area, with a medium level of cultural consensus, and some age-based variation. Although many plants still grow in the area, in many key species a decrease on local production–even abandonment–was found, with much reduced cultivation areas. Yet, the domain appears to be largely theoretical, with little evidence of use; and the diet today is predominantly dependent on foods bought from the store (more than 50 % of basic ingredients), many of which were not salient or not even recognized as ‘food plants’ in freelists exercises. While changes in the importance of food plants were largely deemed a result of changes in cultural preferences for store bought processed food stuffs and changing values associated with farming and being food self-sufficient, Ngäbe were also aware of how changing household livelihood activities, and the subsequent loss of knowledge and use of food plants, were in fact being driven by changes in social and political policies, despite increases in forest cover and biodiversity.ConclusionsNgäbe foodways are changing in different and somewhat disconnected ways: knowledge of food plants is varied, reflecting most relevant changes in dietary practices such as lower cultivation areas and greater dependence on food from stores by all families. We attribute dietary shifts to socioeconomic and political changes in recent decades, in particular to a reduction of local production of food, new economic structures and agents related to the State and globalization.

The spring has arrived: traditional wild vegetables gathered by Yarsanis (Ahl-e Haqq) and Sunni Muslims in Western Hawraman, SE Kurdistan (Iraq)

<p>Kurdistan represents a crucial region in the Middle East for understanding patterns of human evolution in the use of food plants and especially wild vegetables as well as for assessing the influences of the major, surrounding bio-cultural macro-area.</p><p>In this research, an ethnobotanical filed study focusing on wild vegetables traditionally gathered and consumed during the spring was conducted in a few villages of the Western Hawraman area, in South Kurdistan (Iraq), both among Sunni Muslims and Yarsanis (Ahl-e Haqq), the latter of which represent followers of a tiny, threatened, ancient monotheistic religion.</p><p>Through interviews with 25 elderly informants, the folk uses of 34 botanical and mycological taxa were recorded. A few of the recorded species have never, or very rarely, been described in the ethnobotanical literature of the Middle East and for some of them (most notably <em>Allium koelzii</em>, <em>Bongardia chrysogonum</em>, <em>Dorema aucheri</em>, and <em>Johrenia aromatica</em>) their sensory chemistry and nutraceutical properties are largely unknown. No differences were found between the folk taxa mentioned by Sunni Muslims and those reported by Yarsanis.</p><p>The high cultural value and consumption of raw young shoots of <em>Imperata cylindrica</em> should be further investigated considering the history of the development of agriculture in the area, as explanations for the domestication of wild grasses have never considered the hypothesis of gastronomic appreciation of their young aerial parts.</p><p>Moreover, some of the most mentioned vegetables are also considered food-medicines.</p><p>A comparison with all the pre-existing food ethnobotanical literature of the Middle East shows that the most culturally salient wild vegetables recorded in the Hawraman area are shared with Arabic, Turkish, Caucasian, and especially Persian food heritages.</p><p>These findings suggest that investigating the ethnobiology of Kurdistan is more than ever urgent in order to document folk plant uses at a crucial crossroad of historical and cultural trajectories in the Middle East.</p>

A century of changes in wild food plant use in coastal Croatia: the example of Krk and Poljica

The aim of this study was to document the use of wild foods in two locations in the coastal part of Croatia – on the island of Krk and in the Poljica area, near Split. We chose these places as they have historical data on plant use (1900 and 1903 respectively). We carried out 67 interviews in Poljica and 55 interviews in Krk to estimate the current use and knowledge of wild foods. Altogether, 80 species of wild food and herbal tea species of plants were recorded in Poljica and 76 in Krk. On average, 13.2 species were listed by per interview in Poljica, including 7.1 species of wild vegetables, and in Krk 14.6 species, including 7.9 species of wild vegetables. Out of the list of plant names recorded in the past, in Krk, we identified 82% of the taxa and in Poljica 86%.

Local Perceptions of Food Plants in Eastern Burkina Faso

Ethnobotanical interviews on the use of food plants were conducted with 90 informants from two villages in eastern Burkina Faso. A total of 25 plant species and one type of stock cube were included in a structured questionnaire regarding use, importance, reasons behind use, changes in use, and preferences, followed by a supplementary semi-structured questionnaire about reasons behind use, changes, and preferences. Most species were highly used and considered important. Adansonia digitata L., Bombax costatum Pellegr. & Vuillet, Parkia biglobosa (Jacq.) R.Br. ex G.Don, and Vitellaria paradoxa C.F.Gaertn. were particularly important and useful species. Tradition, taste, health, and the lack of other possibilities were main reasons for people using the plants. A decline in traditional food products and an emergence of new products were observed. Answers were strongly related to informants’ home-village and project-contact. There seems to be an extensive interest in health aspects and, consequently, a potential for an increased use of healthy traditional products if people are better informed about their nutritive qualities. Normal 0 21 false false false FR X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:Tableau Normal; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:Calibri,sans-serif; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:Times New Roman; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:Times New Roman; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}